Start with your water company. The Drinking Water Inspectorate says: “They should be able to give you some advice and test the water if necessary. They will also provide you with a summary of the water quality in your area free of charge on request.”
Source: Drinking Water Inspectorate, How to report a problem ↗
Find your water company from your postcode
Testing for lead
“If you suspect that your home has lead pipes you can ask your water company to test the water at your kitchen tap. If the water company investigates and finds lead pipes or another source of lead in the plumbing system, they should provide you with written advice on what to do.”
Source: Drinking Water Inspectorate, Lead in Drinking Water ↗
Testing privately
“You can have the water tested privately for which there will be a charge.”
Find an accredited testing laboratory (UKAS) ↗
Source: Drinking Water Inspectorate, How to report a problem ↗
Ask your water company
“If you want your water tested you should contact the water company.”
Source: Drinking Water Inspectorate, How to report a problem ↗
Test kits
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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
If your water is a private supply
If you are not satisfied: England and Wales
“If you have already contacted them and are not satisfied with their response, please contact the Drinking Water Inspectorate on 0330 041 6501”
Source: Drinking Water Inspectorate, How to report a problem ↗
Scotland and Northern Ireland
Find your water company and regulator on our Scotland and Northern Ireland pages.
Related pages
Sources
- Drinking Water Inspectorate: How to report a problem ↗ · Open Government Licence v3.0 · read 14 October 2026
- Drinking Water Inspectorate: Lead in Drinking Water ↗ · Open Government Licence v3.0 · read 14 October 2026
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.