DH3 tap water: what's in it?
Northumbrian, Essex and Suffolk Water group (figures include Northumbrian Water): at least 36 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.
DH3 tap water quality report · 2026
Hardness
Not covered
We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report.
Details
We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report.
Hosepipe ban
No hosepipe ban
Checked 11 October 2026 at 02:34
Details
Checked 11 October 2026 at 02:34
Storm overflows
190 overflows within 10 km of DH3 centre
2,944 spills in 2025
Details
2,944 spills in 2025
Lead pipes
69% built before 1973
Estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of DH3 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: 68–69%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).
Details
Estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of DH3 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: 68–69%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).
Who supplies water in DH3
Part of Northumbrian, Essex and Suffolk Water
Supplies 765 of 769 postcodes (99%)
Sewerage: Usually Northumbrian Water — they provide water and sewerage across most of their area. Your water bill confirms yours.
Boundary or unplaced: 4 postcodes
Drinking-water test record
Northumbrian Water: 765 of 769 postcodes
Northumbrian Water
Northumbrian, Essex and Suffolk Water group, includes Northumbrian Water
- Regulator
- DWI
- Report year
- 2025
- Failed tests
- Not shown
- Tests
- 266,202
The regulator's published total and its company rows disagree, so we don't show a count.
| Parameter | Failed tests |
|---|---|
| Aluminium | Failed tests: 4 |
| E. coli (confirmed) | Failed tests: 3 |
| Enterococci (confirmed) | Failed tests: 1 |
| Iron | Failed tests: 9 |
| Lead | Failed tests: 5 |
| Manganese | Failed tests: 3 |
| Nickel | Failed tests: 2 |
| Nitrite – consumers taps | Failed tests: 1 |
| Sodium | Failed tests: 1 |
| Total coliforms (confirmed) | Failed tests: 7 |
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 DH3?
Across DH3's supply zones, hardness ranges from 57 mg/l (soft) to 101 mg/l (slightly hard). Those 4 zones cover 50% of its postcodes.
4 identified supply zones in DH3
Sacriston Zone · Northumbrian Water (223 of 769 postcodes)
57 mg/l · 4.0 °Clark · 3.2 °dH · 5.7 °fH
Zone average.
Sacriston Zone (supply zone) · January 2025 to December 2025
Source: Northumbrian Water — dated January 2025 to December 2025, read 28 September 2026
Pelton Zone · Northumbrian Water (161 of 769 postcodes)
65 mg/l · 4.6 °Clark · 3.6 °dH · 6.5 °fH
Zone average.
Pelton Zone (supply zone) · January 2025 to December 2025
Source: Northumbrian Water — dated January 2025 to December 2025, read 28 September 2026
Washington Zone · Northumbrian Water (2 of 769 postcodes)
67 mg/l · 4.7 °Clark · 3.7 °dH · 6.7 °fH
Zone average.
Washington Zone (supply zone) · January 2025 to December 2025
Source: Northumbrian Water — dated January 2025 to December 2025, read 28 September 2026
Beacon Lough Zone · Northumbrian Water (1 of 769 postcodes)
101 mg/l · 7.1 °Clark · 5.6 °dH · 10.1 °fH
Zone average.
Beacon Lough Zone (supply zone) · January 2025 to December 2025
Source: Northumbrian Water — dated January 2025 to December 2025, read 28 September 2026
378 postcodes without an identified supply zone
Northumbrian Water (378 of 769 postcodes)
We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report.
Storm overflows nearby
190 overflows within 10 km of DH3 centre · 2,944 spills in 2025
DH3 (district) · 2025
Source: Environment Agency EDM annual return 2025 — dated 20 August 2026, read 13 October 2026
Overflows here are run by Northumbrian Water.
176 of these were monitored for only part of 2025.
Nearest 5 shown
ASH MEADOWS CSO CHESTER LE STREET
Into TRIB. OF WEAR ESTUARY · 0.5 km from the centre of DH3
5 spills · 1.8 hours · Monitored 99.3% of 2025
CHERRY BANKS CSO
Into WEAR TRIBUTARY · 0.9 km from the centre of DH3
0 spills · 0 hours · Monitored 97.4% of 2025
PARK ROAD NORTH CSO
Into TRIBUTARY OF RIVER WEAR · 0.9 km from the centre of DH3
13 spills · 7.3 hours · Monitored 98.6% of 2025
KINGSMERE SPS
Into ROWLETCH BURN · 1 km from the centre of DH3
0 spills · 0 hours · Monitored 99.4% of 2025
SHIELDS ROAD CSO
Into RIVER WEAR · 1.1 km from the centre of DH3
25 spills · 73.4 hours · Monitored 99.7% 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
69% built before 1973
69% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test.
Homes in the parts of DH3 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: 68–69%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).
Older homes are more likely to have lead pipes. Only a test tells you whether yours does.
DH3 (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.
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
Hosepipe bans
What you can do
General picks — we don't hold your hardness
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)
View Detailsreduces 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.
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)
View Detailsreduces 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.
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
How much does a water softener cost in the UK?
Water softener cost UK 2026: price by home size
Why is my tap water cloudy or white?
Why is my tap water cloudy or white? (UK)
Brown tap water: causes and what to do (UK)
Why does my tap water taste metallic?
Tap water tastes metallic? Causes and fixes (UK)
Questions about tap water in DH3
- Is the water in DH3 hard or soft?
- Northumbrian Water: We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report. Northumbrian Water: soft, 57 mg/l, 4.0 °Clark, 3.2 °dH, 5.7 °fH (Sacriston Zone (supply zone), January 2025 to December 2025). Zone average. Northumbrian Water: soft, 65 mg/l, 4.6 °Clark, 3.6 °dH, 6.5 °fH (Pelton Zone (supply zone), January 2025 to December 2025). Zone average. Northumbrian Water: soft, 67 mg/l, 4.7 °Clark, 3.7 °dH, 6.7 °fH (Washington Zone (supply zone), January 2025 to December 2025). Zone average. Northumbrian Water: slightly hard, 101 mg/l, 7.1 °Clark, 5.6 °dH, 10.1 °fH (Beacon Lough Zone (supply zone), January 2025 to December 2025). Zone average.
- What does the drinking water regulator's record show for DH3?
- Northumbrian, Essex and Suffolk Water group (figures include Northumbrian Water): at least 36 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 DH3 have lead pipes?
- 69% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of DH3 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: 68–69%. 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 DH3 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
- Water Company Boundaries (UC2) ↗ · 19 September 2026 · read 20 September 2026
- Northumbrian Water contact page ↗ · 13 October 2026 · read 13 October 2026
- DWI england 2025, Annex B ↗ · 2025 · read 13 October 2026
- DWI england 2025, national compliance ↗ · 2025 · read 13 October 2026
- Northumbrian Water ↗ · January 2025 to December 2025 · read 28 September 2026
- Northumbrian Water ↗ · January 2025 to December 2025 · read 28 September 2026
- Northumbrian Water ↗ · January 2025 to December 2025 · read 28 September 2026
- Northumbrian Water ↗ · January 2025 to December 2025 · read 28 September 2026
- Environment Agency EDM annual return 2025 ↗ · 2025 · read 13 October 2026
- Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties ↗ · 2026 · read 24 September 2026
- UKHSA and DHSC ↗ · 2026 health monitoring report · read 13 October 2026
- Environment Agency ↗ · 11 October 2026 · read 11 October 2026
Northumbrian Water contact page, Northumbrian Water, Northumbrian Water, Northumbrian Water, Northumbrian Water: Database right, used under the publisher's terms.
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