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Regulator record

NE61 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.

NE61 tap water quality report · 2026

  • Hardness

    Slightly hard

    Details

    Morpeth Zone (supply zone) · January 2025 to December 2025

  • Hosepipe ban

    No hosepipe ban

    Details

    Checked 11 October 2026 at 02:34

  • Storm overflows

    55 overflows within 10 km of NE61 centre

    Details

    732 spills in 2025

  • Lead pipes

    54% built before 1973

    Details

    Estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of NE61 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: 53–54%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).

    Ask Northumbrian Water for a free lead test ↗

    Lead test kits

Who supplies water in NE61

Drinking-water test record

Northumbrian Water: 1,542 of 1,542 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.

Failed tests by parameter
AluminiumFailed tests: 4
E. coli (confirmed)Failed tests: 3
Enterococci (confirmed)Failed tests: 1
IronFailed tests: 9
LeadFailed tests: 5
ManganeseFailed tests: 3
NickelFailed tests: 2
Nitrite – consumers tapsFailed tests: 1
SodiumFailed 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 NE61?

Across NE61's supply zones, hardness ranges from 100 mg/l (soft) to 133 mg/l (slightly hard). Those 7 zones cover 85% of its postcodes.

7 identified supply zones in NE61

Morpeth Zone · Northumbrian Water (662 of 1,542 postcodes)

133 mg/l · 9.3 °Clark · 7.4 °dH · 13.3 °fH

Slightly hard

Zone average.

Morpeth Zone (supply zone) · January 2025 to December 2025

Source: Northumbrian Water — dated January 2025 to December 2025, read 28 September 2026

Hebron & Ashington Zone · Northumbrian Water (453 of 1,542 postcodes)

127 mg/l · 8.9 °Clark · 7.1 °dH · 12.7 °fH

Slightly hard

Zone average.

Hebron & Ashington Zone (supply zone) · January 2025 to December 2025

Source: Northumbrian Water — dated January 2025 to December 2025, read 28 September 2026

Hazelrigg Zone · Northumbrian Water (104 of 1,542 postcodes)

121 mg/l · 8.5 °Clark · 6.8 °dH · 12.1 °fH

Slightly hard

Zone average.

Hazelrigg Zone (supply zone) · January 2025 to December 2025

Source: Northumbrian Water — dated January 2025 to December 2025, read 28 September 2026

Fontburn Zone · Northumbrian Water (46 of 1,542 postcodes)

131 mg/l · 9.2 °Clark · 7.3 °dH · 13.1 °fH

Slightly hard

Zone average.

Fontburn Zone (supply zone) · January 2025 to December 2025

Source: Northumbrian Water — dated January 2025 to December 2025, read 28 September 2026

Heddon, Whalton & Harlow Hill Zone · Northumbrian Water (23 of 1,542 postcodes)

100 mg/l · 7.0 °Clark · 5.6 °dH · 10.0 °fH

Soft

Zone average.

Heddon, Whalton & Harlow Hill Zone (supply zone) · January 2025 to December 2025

Source: Northumbrian Water — dated January 2025 to December 2025, read 28 September 2026

Birney Hill Zone · Northumbrian Water (17 of 1,542 postcodes)

123 mg/l · 8.6 °Clark · 6.9 °dH · 12.3 °fH

Slightly hard

Zone average.

Birney Hill Zone (supply zone) · January 2025 to December 2025

Source: Northumbrian Water — dated January 2025 to December 2025, read 28 September 2026

Shotton Zone · Northumbrian Water (1 of 1,542 postcodes)

125 mg/l · 8.8 °Clark · 7.0 °dH · 12.5 °fH

Slightly hard

Zone average.

Shotton Zone (supply zone) · January 2025 to December 2025

Source: Northumbrian Water — dated January 2025 to December 2025, read 28 September 2026

236 postcodes without an identified supply zone

Northumbrian Water (236 of 1,542 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

55 overflows within 10 km of NE61 centre · 732 spills in 2025

NE61 (district) · 2025

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

Overflows here are run by Northumbrian Water.

54 of these were monitored for only part of 2025.

Nearest 5 shown

  1. STOBS FORD SPS

    Into RIVER WANSBECK · 1.1 km from the centre of NE61

    48 spills · 163.6 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025

  2. MORPETH STW

    Into RIVER WANSBECK · 1.1 km from the centre of NE61

    15 spills · 27.9 hours · Monitored 37.9% of 2025

  3. MORPETH STW

    Into RIVER WANSBECK · 1.1 km from the centre of NE61

    18 spills · 173.7 hours · Monitored 99.8% of 2025

  4. POINT A DAMSIDE CSO CM022

    Into COTTING BURN · 1.1 km from the centre of NE61

    22 spills · 21.9 hours · Monitored 99.3% of 2025

  5. DAMSIDE AND STAITHES LANE CSO

    Into THE COTTING BURN · 1.1 km from the centre of NE61

    2 spills · 0.9 hours · Monitored 89.3% 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

54% built before 1973

54% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test.

Homes in the parts of NE61 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: 53–54%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).

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

NE61 (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 NE61

Is the water in NE61 hard or soft?
Northumbrian Water: slightly hard, 133 mg/l, 9.3 °Clark, 7.4 °dH, 13.3 °fH (Morpeth Zone (supply zone), January 2025 to December 2025). Zone average. Northumbrian Water: slightly hard, 127 mg/l, 8.9 °Clark, 7.1 °dH, 12.7 °fH (Hebron & Ashington Zone (supply zone), January 2025 to December 2025). Zone average. Northumbrian Water: We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report. Northumbrian Water: slightly hard, 121 mg/l, 8.5 °Clark, 6.8 °dH, 12.1 °fH (Hazelrigg Zone (supply zone), January 2025 to December 2025). Zone average. Northumbrian Water: slightly hard, 131 mg/l, 9.2 °Clark, 7.3 °dH, 13.1 °fH (Fontburn Zone (supply zone), January 2025 to December 2025). Zone average. Northumbrian Water: soft, 100 mg/l, 7.0 °Clark, 5.6 °dH, 10.0 °fH (Heddon, Whalton & Harlow Hill Zone (supply zone), January 2025 to December 2025). Zone average. Northumbrian Water: slightly hard, 123 mg/l, 8.6 °Clark, 6.9 °dH, 12.3 °fH (Birney Hill Zone (supply zone), January 2025 to December 2025). Zone average. Northumbrian Water: slightly hard, 125 mg/l, 8.8 °Clark, 7.0 °dH, 12.5 °fH (Shotton Zone (supply zone), January 2025 to December 2025). Zone average.
What does the drinking water regulator's record show for NE61?
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 NE61 have lead pipes?
54% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of NE61 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: 53–54%. 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 NE61 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

Northumbrian Water contact page, Northumbrian Water, Northumbrian Water, Northumbrian Water, Northumbrian Water, Northumbrian Water, Northumbrian Water, Northumbrian 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

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By TapWaterData Editorial

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