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Regulator record

CB3 tap water: what's in it?

Cambridge Water: at least 1 test 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.

CB3 tap water quality report · 2026

  • Hardness

    Very hard

    Details

    Cambridge City North (supply zone) · 2025

  • Hosepipe ban

    Hosepipe ban in force

    Details

    Cambridge Water (Environment Agency, 11 October 2026). Checked 11 October 2026 at 02:34

    See the notice ↗

  • Storm overflows

    13 overflows within 10 km of CB3 centre

    Details

    124 spills in 2025

  • Lead pipes

    44% built before 1973

    Details

    Estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of CB3 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: 43–44%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).

    Ask Cambridge Water for a free lead test ↗

    Lead test kits

Who supplies water in CB3

Drinking-water test record

Cambridge Water: 411 of 411 postcodes

Cambridge Water

Cambridge Water, company-wide

Regulator
DWI
Report year
2025
Failed tests
Not shown
Tests
29,664

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

Failed tests by parameter
Total coliforms (confirmed)Failed tests: 1

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 CB3?

64% of CB3's postcodes are in the Cambridge City North supply zone (Cambridge Water): 335 mg/l, very hard.

Cambridge City North · Cambridge Water (261 of 411 postcodes)

335 mg/l · 23.5 °Clark · 18.7 °dH · 33.5 °fH

Very hard

Zone average.

Cambridge City North (supply zone) · 2025

Source: Cambridge Water — dated 2025, read 20 September 2026

3 identified supply zones in CB3

Cambridge City North · Cambridge Water (261 of 411 postcodes)

335 mg/l · 23.5 °Clark · 18.7 °dH · 33.5 °fH

Very hard

Zone average.

Cambridge City North (supply zone) · 2025

Source: Cambridge Water — dated 2025, read 20 September 2026

Cambridge Rural · Cambridge Water (81 of 411 postcodes)

318 mg/l · 22.3 °Clark · 17.8 °dH · 31.8 °fH

Very hard

Zone average.

Cambridge Rural (supply zone) · 2025

Source: Cambridge Water — dated 2025, read 20 September 2026

Coton · Cambridge Water (19 of 411 postcodes)

318 mg/l · 22.3 °Clark · 17.8 °dH · 31.8 °fH

Very hard

Zone average.

Coton (supply zone) · 2025

Source: Cambridge Water — dated 2025, read 20 September 2026

50 postcodes without an identified supply zone

Cambridge Water (50 of 411 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

13 overflows within 10 km of CB3 centre · 124 spills in 2025

CB3 (district) · 2025

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

Overflows here are run by Anglian Water.

7 of these were monitored for only part of 2025.

Nearest 5 shown

  1. CAMBRIDGE RIVERSIDE 187 CSO

    Into River Cam · 3 km from the centre of CB3

    0 spills · 0 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025

  2. HARDWICK EAST PUMPING STATION

    Into TRIB OF BIN BROOK · 5 km from the centre of CB3

    6 spills · 71.8 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025

  3. CAMBRIDGE WATER RECYCLING CENTRE

    Into THE RIVER CAM · 5.4 km from the centre of CB3

    4 spills · 39.9 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025

  4. HASLINGFIELD WRC

    Into River Rhee NT · 6.2 km from the centre of CB3

    30 spills · 383.3 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025

  5. WIMPOLE ROAD PS

    Into Tit Brook · 6.7 km from the centre of CB3

    18 spills · 189.5 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

44% built before 1973

44% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test.

Homes in the parts of CB3 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: 43–44%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).

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

CB3 (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

Get UK hosepipe news

Occasional news on UK hosepipe bans and water restrictions from TapWaterData. Unsubscribe any time.

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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 water softener for UK buyers yet.

What a pick has to pass:

  • An exact-model listing from NSF, WQA or IAPMO for the model sold in the UK
  • Listed to NSF/ANSI 44, the water softener standard
  • The manufacturer's documented feed connection and water-pressure range, so a plumber can check them against UK pipework
  • UK availability evidenced by Amazon UK, the manufacturer or a UK retailer, checked in the last 90 days

Until we can recommend one, see what a softener costs to buy, fit and run in the UK. Water softener cost

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 CB3

Is the water in CB3 hard or soft?
Cambridge Water: very hard, 335 mg/l, 23.5 °Clark, 18.7 °dH, 33.5 °fH (Cambridge City North (supply zone), 2025). Zone average. Cambridge Water: very hard, 318 mg/l, 22.3 °Clark, 17.8 °dH, 31.8 °fH (Cambridge Rural (supply zone), 2025). Zone average. Cambridge Water: We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report. Cambridge Water: very hard, 318 mg/l, 22.3 °Clark, 17.8 °dH, 31.8 °fH (Coton (supply zone), 2025). Zone average.
What does the drinking water regulator's record show for CB3?
Cambridge Water: at least 1 test 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 CB3 have lead pipes?
44% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of CB3 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: 43–44%. 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 CB3 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

Cambridge Water contact page, Cambridge Water, Cambridge Water, Cambridge Water: 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 v3.0All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated © Crown copyright

Data generation uk-2026-10-16-derive6

Check another postcode

By TapWaterData Editorial

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