WF1 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.
WF1 tap water quality report · 2026
Hardness
Slightly hard
Wakefield City North 2024 (supply zone) · 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
Details
Wakefield City North 2024 (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
136 overflows within 10 km of WF1 centre
2,955 spills in 2025
Details
2,955 spills in 2025
Lead pipes
60% built before 1973
Estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of WF1 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: 59–60%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).
Details
Estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of WF1 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: 59–60%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).
Who supplies water in WF1
Supplies 1,249 of 1,256 postcodes (99%)
Sewerage: Usually Yorkshire Water — they provide water and sewerage across most of their area. Your water bill confirms yours.
Boundary or unplaced: 7 postcodes
Drinking-water test record
Yorkshire Water: 1,249 of 1,256 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 WF1?
Across WF1's supply zones, hardness ranges from 97 mg/l (soft) to 164 mg/l (moderately hard). Those 4 zones cover 86% of its postcodes.
4 identified supply zones in WF1
Wakefield City North 2024 · Yorkshire Water (573 of 1,256 postcodes)
143 mg/l · 10.1 °Clark · 8.0 °dH · 14.3 °fH
Zone average.
Wakefield City North 2024 (supply zone) · 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
Source: Yorkshire Water — dated 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024, read 29 September 2026
Outwood 2024 · Yorkshire Water (302 of 1,256 postcodes)
164 mg/l · 11.5 °Clark · 9.2 °dH · 16.4 °fH
Zone average.
Outwood 2024 (supply zone) · 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
Source: Yorkshire Water — dated 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024, read 29 September 2026
Wakefield City South 2024 · Yorkshire Water (203 of 1,256 postcodes)
119 mg/l · 8.4 °Clark · 6.7 °dH · 11.9 °fH
Zone average.
Wakefield City South 2024 (supply zone) · 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
Source: Yorkshire Water — dated 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024, read 29 September 2026
Wakefield City SAM 2024 · Yorkshire Water (3 of 1,256 postcodes)
97 mg/l · 6.8 °Clark · 5.5 °dH · 9.7 °fH
Zone average.
Wakefield City SAM 2024 (supply zone) · 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
Source: Yorkshire Water — dated 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024, read 29 September 2026
168 postcodes without an identified supply zone
Yorkshire Water (168 of 1,256 postcodes)
We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report.
Storm overflows nearby
136 overflows within 10 km of WF1 centre · 2,955 spills in 2025
WF1 (district) · 2025
Source: Environment Agency EDM annual return 2025 — dated 20 August 2026, read 13 October 2026
Overflows here are run by Yorkshire Water.
89 of these were monitored for only part of 2025.
Nearest 5 shown
KIRKGATE CHANTRY BRIDGE CSO
Into RIVER CALDER VIA PUMPED OUTLET · 1.4 km from the centre of WF1
23 spills · 82.3 hours · Monitored 97.7% of 2025
CLAYTON HILL CSO
Into CULVERTED TRIB OF CHALD BECK · 1.4 km from the centre of WF1
0 spills · 0 hours · Monitored 99.6% of 2025
THORNES LANE WHARFE CSO
Into RIVER CALDER · 1.5 km from the centre of WF1
30 spills · 122.5 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025
WRENTHORPE CSO
Into BALNE BECK · 1.7 km from the centre of WF1
16 spills · 51 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025
NEW SCARBOROUGH CSO
Into ALVERTHORPE BECK · 1.7 km from the centre of WF1
0 spills · 0 hours · Monitored 85% 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
60% built before 1973
60% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test.
Homes in the parts of WF1 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: 59–60%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).
Older homes are more likely to have lead pipes. Only a test tells you whether yours does.
WF1 (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
Common water problems
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Questions about tap water in WF1
- Is the water in WF1 hard or soft?
- Yorkshire Water: slightly hard, 143 mg/l, 10.1 °Clark, 8.0 °dH, 14.3 °fH (Wakefield City North 2024 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: moderately hard, 164 mg/l, 11.5 °Clark, 9.2 °dH, 16.4 °fH (Outwood 2024 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: slightly hard, 119 mg/l, 8.4 °Clark, 6.7 °dH, 11.9 °fH (Wakefield City South 2024 (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. Yorkshire Water: soft, 97 mg/l, 6.8 °Clark, 5.5 °dH, 9.7 °fH (Wakefield City SAM 2024 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average.
- What does the drinking water regulator's record show for WF1?
- 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 WF1 have lead pipes?
- 60% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of WF1 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: 59–60%. 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 WF1 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, 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