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Regulator record

BL6 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.

BL6 tap water quality report · 2026

  • Hardness

    Soft

    Details

    Horwich (supply zone) · 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 25 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

    182 overflows within 10 km of BL6 centre

    Details

    4,123 spills in 2025

  • Lead pipes

    56% built before 1973

    Details

    Estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of BL6 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: 55–56%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).

    Ask United Utilities for a free lead test ↗

    Lead test kits

Who supplies water in BL6

Boundary or unplaced: 6 postcodes

Drinking-water test record

United Utilities: 1,010 of 1,016 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 BL6?

72% of BL6's postcodes are in the Horwich supply zone (United Utilities): 21 mg/l, soft.

Horwich · United Utilities (731 of 1,016 postcodes)

21 mg/l · 1.5 °Clark · 1.2 °dH · 2.1 °fH

Soft

Zone average of 25 samples.

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

Source: United Utilities — dated 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026, read 30 September 2026

5 identified supply zones in BL6

Horwich · United Utilities (731 of 1,016 postcodes)

21 mg/l · 1.5 °Clark · 1.2 °dH · 2.1 °fH

Soft

Zone average of 25 samples.

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

Source: United Utilities — dated 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026, read 30 September 2026

Westhoughton · United Utilities (206 of 1,016 postcodes)

21 mg/l · 1.5 °Clark · 1.2 °dH · 2.1 °fH

Soft

Zone average of 37 samples.

Westhoughton (supply zone) · 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 37 samples

Source: United Utilities — dated 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026, read 30 September 2026

Top O Th Cow · United Utilities (21 of 1,016 postcodes)

21 mg/l · 1.5 °Clark · 1.2 °dH · 2.1 °fH

Soft

Zone average of 53 samples.

Top O Th Cow (supply zone) · 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 53 samples

Source: United Utilities — dated 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026, read 29 September 2026

Egerton / Heaton · United Utilities (20 of 1,016 postcodes)

21 mg/l · 1.5 °Clark · 1.2 °dH · 2.1 °fH

Soft

Zone average of 36 samples.

Egerton / Heaton (supply zone) · 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 36 samples

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

Chorley · United Utilities (3 of 1,016 postcodes)

114 mg/l · 8.0 °Clark · 6.4 °dH · 11.4 °fH

Slightly hard

Zone average of 57 samples.

Chorley (supply zone) · 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 57 samples

Source: United Utilities — dated 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026, read 30 September 2026

29 postcodes without an identified supply zone

United Utilities (29 of 1,016 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

182 overflows within 10 km of BL6 centre · 4,123 spills in 2025

BL6 (district) · 2025

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

Overflows here are run by United Utilities.

159 of these were monitored for only part of 2025.

Nearest 5 shown

  1. CHORLEY NEW ROAD SPS

    Into PEARL BROOK · 0.1 km from the centre of BL6

    25 spills · 30.2 hours · Monitored 67% of 2025

  2. CHORLEY NEW RD TELFORD ST CSO 071JQ

    Into MIDDLE BROOK · 0.1 km from the centre of BL6

    2 spills · 0.1 hours · Monitored 99.9% of 2025

  3. HORWICH WASTEWATER TREATMENT WORKS

    Into PEARL BROOK · 1.7 km from the centre of BL6

    31 spills · 194.8 hours · Monitored 98.2% of 2025

  4. HORWICH WASTEWATER TREATMENT WORKS

    Into PEARL BROOK · 1.7 km from the centre of BL6

    19 spills · 167.7 hours · Monitored 98.2% of 2025

  5. PARK HALL FARM CSO 071EY

    Into UNNAMED TRIB OF MIDDLE BROOK · 1.9 km from the centre of BL6

    40 spills · 67.1 hours · Monitored 97.3% 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

56% built before 1973

56% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test.

Homes in the parts of BL6 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: 55–56%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).

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

BL6 (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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See our privacy policy.

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 BL6

Is the water in BL6 hard or soft?
United Utilities: soft, 21 mg/l, 1.5 °Clark, 1.2 °dH, 2.1 °fH (Horwich (supply zone), 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 25 samples). Zone average of 25 samples. United Utilities: soft, 21 mg/l, 1.5 °Clark, 1.2 °dH, 2.1 °fH (Westhoughton (supply zone), 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 37 samples). Zone average of 37 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, 21 mg/l, 1.5 °Clark, 1.2 °dH, 2.1 °fH (Top O Th Cow (supply zone), 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 53 samples). Zone average of 53 samples. United Utilities: soft, 21 mg/l, 1.5 °Clark, 1.2 °dH, 2.1 °fH (Egerton / Heaton (supply zone), 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 36 samples). Zone average of 36 samples. United Utilities: slightly hard, 114 mg/l, 8.0 °Clark, 6.4 °dH, 11.4 °fH (Chorley (supply zone), 12-month average, updated 25 September 2026; 57 samples). Zone average of 57 samples.
What does the drinking water regulator's record show for BL6?
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 BL6 have lead pipes?
56% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of BL6 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: 55–56%. 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 BL6 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: 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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