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Regulator record

BB5 tap water: what's in it?

United Utilities: at least 57 tests failed UK drinking-water standards in 2025 (DWI, company-wide).

Some published DWI figures don't reconcile or identify a company, so we've left them out; the true number may be higher. England overall: 99.97% of tests met standards.

BB5 tap water quality report · 2026

  • Hardness

    Soft

    Details

    Accrington West (supply zone) · 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 32 samples

  • Hosepipe ban

    Not available

    Details

    We can't confirm the hosepipe-ban status for United Utilities from the information we hold.

    Check the company's current advice

  • Storm overflows

    143 overflows within 10 km of BB5 centre

    Details

    3,471 spills in 2025

  • Lead pipes

    73% built before 1973

    Details

    Estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of BB5 we can match to council-tax records (100% of its postcodes) whose build period is known; the share with no recorded build period isn't published for these areas. Allowing for suppressed counts: 72–74%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).

    Ask United Utilities for a free lead test ↗

    Lead test kits

Who supplies water in BB5

Drinking-water test record

United Utilities: 1,554 of 1,554 postcodes

United Utilities

United Utilities, company-wide

Regulator
DWI
Report year
2025
Failed tests
Not shown
Tests
385,673

The regulator's published total and its company rows disagree, so we don't show a count.

Failed tests by parameter
AluminiumFailed tests: 5
E. coli (confirmed)Failed tests: 4
IronFailed tests: 18
LeadFailed tests: 7
ManganeseFailed tests: 7
NickelFailed tests: 3
Total coliforms (confirmed)Failed tests: 13

Source: DWI england 2025, Annex B — dated 6 July 2026, read 13 October 2026

Source: DWI england 2025, Annex A — dated 6 July 2026, read 13 October 2026

England: 99.97% of tests met standards in 2025 (DWI).

Source: DWI england 2025, national compliance — dated 6 July 2026, read 13 October 2026

How hard is the water in BB5?

51% of BB5's postcodes are in the Accrington West supply zone (United Utilities): 23 mg/l, soft.

Accrington West · United Utilities (791 of 1,554 postcodes)

23 mg/l · 1.6 °Clark · 1.3 °dH · 2.3 °fH

Soft

Zone average of 32 samples.

Accrington West (supply zone) · 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 32 samples

Source: United Utilities — dated 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026, read 28 September 2026

6 identified supply zones in BB5

Accrington West · United Utilities (791 of 1,554 postcodes)

23 mg/l · 1.6 °Clark · 1.3 °dH · 2.3 °fH

Soft

Zone average of 32 samples.

Accrington West (supply zone) · 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 32 samples

Source: United Utilities — dated 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026, read 28 September 2026

Burnley Road · United Utilities (508 of 1,554 postcodes)

23 mg/l · 1.6 °Clark · 1.3 °dH · 2.3 °fH

Soft

Zone average of 26 samples.

Burnley Road (supply zone) · 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 26 samples

Source: United Utilities — dated 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026, read 28 September 2026

Mitchells · United Utilities (191 of 1,554 postcodes)

28 mg/l · 2.0 °Clark · 1.6 °dH · 2.8 °fH

Soft

Zone average of 13 samples.

Mitchells (supply zone) · 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 13 samples

Source: United Utilities — dated 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026, read 28 September 2026

Martholme Gravity · United Utilities (27 of 1,554 postcodes)

23 mg/l · 1.6 °Clark · 1.3 °dH · 2.3 °fH

Soft

Zone average of 13 samples.

Martholme Gravity (supply zone) · 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 13 samples

Source: United Utilities — dated 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026, read 28 September 2026

Haslingden Grane · United Utilities (14 of 1,554 postcodes)

25 mg/l · 1.8 °Clark · 1.4 °dH · 2.5 °fH

Soft

Zone average of 33 samples.

Haslingden Grane (supply zone) · 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 33 samples

Source: United Utilities — dated 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026, read 28 September 2026

Loveclough · United Utilities (1 of 1,554 postcodes)

27 mg/l · 1.9 °Clark · 1.5 °dH · 2.7 °fH

Soft

Zone average of 29 samples.

Loveclough (supply zone) · 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 29 samples

Source: United Utilities — dated 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026, read 28 September 2026

22 postcodes without an identified supply zone

United Utilities (22 of 1,554 postcodes)

We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report.

Ask your water company

Storm overflows nearby

143 overflows within 10 km of BB5 centre · 3,471 spills in 2025

BB5 (district) · 2025

Source: Environment Agency EDM annual return 2025 — dated 20 August 2026, read 13 October 2026

Overflows here are run by United Utilities.

131 of these were monitored for only part of 2025.

Nearest 5 shown

  1. MELBOURNE STREET/WATER STREET CSO

    Into CULVERTED TRIB RIVER HYNDBURN · 0.7 km from the centre of BB5

    0 spills · 0 hours · Monitored 98% of 2025

  2. FAIRFIELD ST/STEVENSON ST EAST CSO

    Into CULV SECTION OF TINKER BROOK · 0.8 km from the centre of BB5

    0 spills · 0 hours · Monitored 98.1% of 2025

  3. GRANGE LANE CSO

    Into BROAD OAK WATER · 0.9 km from the centre of BB5

    0 spills · 0 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025

  4. REAR OF 34 DINELY STREET CSO

    Into RIVER HYNDBURN · 1 km from the centre of BB5

    0 spills · 0 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025

  5. TINKER BROOK CSO (22018)

    Into TINKER BROOK · 1.3 km from the centre of BB5

    21 spills · 25.9 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025

Annual 2025 figures from monitored overflows. Not live, and not a bathing-water or tap-water verdict.

  • 57 England outfalls in the 2025 return had no usable location and aren't counted.
  • Northern Ireland isn't covered: No licensed annual per-outfall source in the approved source list; BT postcode coordinates require an LPS licence.

Older homes and lead pipes

73% built before 1973

73% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test.

Homes in the parts of BB5 we can match to council-tax records (100% of its postcodes) whose build period is known; the share with no recorded build period isn't published for these areas. Allowing for suppressed counts: 72–74%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).

Older homes are more likely to have lead pipes. Only a test tells you whether yours does.

BB5 (district) · 2026

Source: Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties — dated 31 March 2026, read 24 September 2026

Fluoride

We cannot confirm whether this area is part of a water fluoridation scheme. Ask your water supplier using your postcode.

About fluoride in UK water

Around one in ten people in England receive drinking water supplied by a fluoridation scheme.

England · 2026 health monitoring report

Source: UKHSA and DHSC — dated 30 March 2026, read 13 October 2026

Fluoride in UK tap water

Hosepipe bans

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What you can do

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links go to amazon.com; Amazon's Earn Globally service can localise them to amazon.co.uk. Check the model and UK delivery before buying.

Water filter jugs

  • LifeStraw

    LSH7GLSPK21

    Performance certification:

    Certified by WQA to NSF/ANSI 42 for Aesthetic Chlorine and Taste and Odor; Certified by WQA to NSF/ANSI 53 for Lead and Mercury; Certified by WQA to NSF/ANSI 401 for Microplastics (a US/international standard; it is not UK approval)

    reduces chlorine taste and odour in drinking water.

    A UK retailer lists this model. Amazon UK stock and delivery are unverified; this Amazon link may not ship to the UK. Check the exact model and UK delivery before you pay.

    UK availability evidence checked 14 October 2026.

    View Details

Shower filters

  • Weddell Water

    WD-100BL

    Performance certification:

    Certified by NSF to NSF/ANSI 177 for Free Available Chlorine Reduction (a US/international standard; it is not UK approval)

    reduces chlorine in shower water; does not soften water.

    A UK retailer lists this model. Amazon UK stock and delivery are unverified; this Amazon link may not ship to the UK. Check the exact model and UK delivery before you pay.

    Check it fits your shower fitting before buying; a US fitting may need an adaptor.

    UK availability evidence checked 14 October 2026.

    View Details

We haven't verified a lead test kit for UK buyers yet.

What a pick has to pass:

  • A lead result reported by a laboratory accredited for that test (UKAS, ISO/IEC 17025), named on the kit's listing
  • UK availability evidenced by Amazon UK, the manufacturer or a UK retailer, checked in the last 90 days

Start with your water company: if you think you have lead pipes, you can ask it to test the water at your kitchen tap. Which water test you need

Common water problems

Questions about tap water in BB5

Is the water in BB5 hard or soft?
United Utilities: soft, 23 mg/l, 1.6 °Clark, 1.3 °dH, 2.3 °fH (Accrington West (supply zone), 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 32 samples). Zone average of 32 samples. United Utilities: soft, 23 mg/l, 1.6 °Clark, 1.3 °dH, 2.3 °fH (Burnley Road (supply zone), 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 26 samples). Zone average of 26 samples. United Utilities: soft, 28 mg/l, 2.0 °Clark, 1.6 °dH, 2.8 °fH (Mitchells (supply zone), 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 13 samples). Zone average of 13 samples. United Utilities: soft, 23 mg/l, 1.6 °Clark, 1.3 °dH, 2.3 °fH (Martholme Gravity (supply zone), 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 13 samples). Zone average of 13 samples. United Utilities: We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report. United Utilities: soft, 25 mg/l, 1.8 °Clark, 1.4 °dH, 2.5 °fH (Haslingden Grane (supply zone), 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 33 samples). Zone average of 33 samples. United Utilities: soft, 27 mg/l, 1.9 °Clark, 1.5 °dH, 2.7 °fH (Loveclough (supply zone), 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 29 samples). Zone average of 29 samples.
What does the drinking water regulator's record show for BB5?
United Utilities: at least 57 tests failed UK drinking-water standards in 2025 (DWI, company-wide). Some published DWI figures don't reconcile or identify a company, so we've left them out; the true number may be higher. England overall: 99.97% of tests met standards.
Could homes in BB5 have lead pipes?
73% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of BB5 we can match to council-tax records (100% of its postcodes) whose build period is known; the share with no recorded build period isn't published for these areas. Allowing for suppressed counts: 72–74%. England and Wales: 61% (2026). Older homes are more likely to have lead pipes. Only a test tells you whether yours does.
Is the water in BB5 fluoridated?
We cannot confirm whether this area is part of a water fluoridation scheme. Ask your water supplier using your postcode. Around one in ten people in England receive drinking water supplied by a fluoridation scheme.
Sources and method

United Utilities contact page, United Utilities, United Utilities, United Utilities, United Utilities, United Utilities, United Utilities: Database right, used under the publisher's terms.

Water company boundaries © Water UK, licensed under CC BY 4.0Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0

Data generation uk-2026-10-16-derive6

Check another postcode

By TapWaterData Editorial

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