HG4 tap water: what's in it?
Yorkshire Water: at least 69 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.
HG4 tap water quality report · 2026
Hardness
Soft
Pateley Bridge and Ripon 2019 (supply zone) · 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
Details
Pateley Bridge and Ripon 2019 (supply zone) · 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
Hosepipe ban
No hosepipe ban
Checked 11 October 2026 at 02:34
Details
Checked 11 October 2026 at 02:34
Storm overflows
41 overflows within 10 km of HG4 centre
1,158 spills in 2025
Details
1,158 spills in 2025
Lead pipes
58% built before 1973
Estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of HG4 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: 55–58%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).
Details
Estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of HG4 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: 55–58%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).
Who supplies water in HG4
Supplies 1,014 of 1,014 postcodes (100%)
Sewerage: Usually Yorkshire Water — they provide water and sewerage across most of their area. Your water bill confirms yours.
Drinking-water test record
Yorkshire Water: 1,014 of 1,014 postcodes
Yorkshire Water
Yorkshire Water, company-wide
- Regulator
- DWI
- Report year
- 2025
- Failed tests
- Not shown
- Tests
- 388,919
The regulator's published total and its company rows disagree, so we don't show a count.
| Parameter | Failed tests |
|---|---|
| E. coli (confirmed) | Failed tests: 4 |
| Enterococci (confirmed) | Failed tests: 2 |
| Iron | Failed tests: 20 |
| Lead | Failed tests: 6 |
| Nickel | Failed tests: 7 |
| Total coliforms (confirmed) | Failed tests: 30 |
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 HG4?
71% of HG4's postcodes are in the Pateley Bridge and Ripon 2019 supply zone (Yorkshire Water): 73 mg/l, soft.
Pateley Bridge and Ripon 2019 · Yorkshire Water (721 of 1,014 postcodes)
73 mg/l · 5.1 °Clark · 4.1 °dH · 7.3 °fH
Zone average.
Pateley Bridge and Ripon 2019 (supply zone) · 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
Source: Yorkshire Water — dated 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024, read 29 September 2026
3 identified supply zones in HG4
Pateley Bridge and Ripon 2019 · Yorkshire Water (721 of 1,014 postcodes)
73 mg/l · 5.1 °Clark · 4.1 °dH · 7.3 °fH
Zone average.
Pateley Bridge and Ripon 2019 (supply zone) · 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
Source: Yorkshire Water — dated 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024, read 29 September 2026
Dales 2015 · Yorkshire Water (175 of 1,014 postcodes)
119 mg/l · 8.3 °Clark · 6.6 °dH · 11.9 °fH
Zone average.
Dales 2015 (supply zone) · 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
Source: Yorkshire Water — dated 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024, read 30 September 2026
Boroughbridge 2019 · Yorkshire Water (64 of 1,014 postcodes)
197 mg/l · 13.8 °Clark · 11.0 °dH · 19.7 °fH
Zone average.
Boroughbridge 2019 (supply zone) · 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
Source: Yorkshire Water — dated 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024, read 30 September 2026
54 postcodes without an identified supply zone
Yorkshire Water (54 of 1,014 postcodes)
We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report.
Storm overflows nearby
41 overflows within 10 km of HG4 centre · 1,158 spills in 2025
HG4 (district) · 2025
Source: Environment Agency EDM annual return 2025 — dated 20 August 2026, read 13 October 2026
Overflows here are run by Yorkshire Water.
35 of these were monitored for only part of 2025.
Nearest 5 shown
GALPHAY SEWAGE PUMPING STATION
Into TRIB OF LAVER · 3.2 km from the centre of HG4
35 spills · 97 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025
CLOTHERHOLME CSO
Into SKELL · 3.6 km from the centre of HG4
29 spills · 46.3 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025
BORRAGE BRIDGE CSO
Into RIVER SKELL VIA A PUBLIC SEWER · 3.6 km from the centre of HG4
28 spills · 14.3 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025
PARK STREET CSO
Into SKELL · 3.6 km from the centre of HG4
43 spills · 115 hours · Monitored 99.8% of 2025
BLOSSOMGATE CSO
Into SKELL · 3.6 km from the centre of HG4
11 spills · 30 hours · Monitored 69.4% 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
58% built before 1973
58% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test.
Homes in the parts of HG4 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: 55–58%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).
Older homes are more likely to have lead pipes. Only a test tells you whether yours does.
HG4 (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
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
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Questions about tap water in HG4
- Is the water in HG4 hard or soft?
- Yorkshire Water: soft, 73 mg/l, 5.1 °Clark, 4.1 °dH, 7.3 °fH (Pateley Bridge and Ripon 2019 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: slightly hard, 119 mg/l, 8.3 °Clark, 6.6 °dH, 11.9 °fH (Dales 2015 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: moderately hard, 197 mg/l, 13.8 °Clark, 11.0 °dH, 19.7 °fH (Boroughbridge 2019 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report.
- What does the drinking water regulator's record show for HG4?
- Yorkshire Water: at least 69 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 HG4 have lead pipes?
- 58% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of HG4 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: 55–58%. 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 HG4 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
- Yorkshire 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
- Yorkshire Water ↗ · 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024 · read 29 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
- Yorkshire Water ↗ · 11 October 2026 · read 11 October 2026
Yorkshire Water contact page, Yorkshire Water, Yorkshire Water, Yorkshire Water, Yorkshire 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 v3.0
Data generation uk-2026-10-16-derive6