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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in BB18, PendleSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 49 samples, 8 substances, latest on 10 November 2024. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.5 / 10

The tank is as full as the score. The specks are the minerals that make water hard.

What to do about it

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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of BB18 water

Every bubble is a substance the lab measured. The higher it floats, the closer it came to its legal limit, the dashed line at the top.

Bromate came closest to a limit, at 12% of it. 8 of 8 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000104 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Manganese: 0.00045 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese<1%Aluminium: 0.00622 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium3%Nickel: 0.00077 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Iron: 0.01 mg/L, 5% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron5%Lead: 0.00055 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead6%Turbidity: 0.24 NTU, 6% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity6%Bromate: 0.00119 mg/L, 12% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate12%
  1. Bromate12%
  2. Turbidity6%
  3. Lead6%
  4. Iron5%
  5. Nickel4%
  6. Aluminium3%
  7. Manganese<1%
  8. Copper<1%
All 8 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Aluminium0.00622 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Iron0.01 mg/L0.2 mg/L
5%
Manganese0.00045 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Bromate0.00119 mg/L0.01 mg/L
12%
Turbidity0.24 NTU4 NTU
6%
Copper0.0000104 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%

23mg of limescale minerals in every litre, typical for the BB area. BB18 has no reading of its own.

Soft water. Kind to kettles, boilers and skin

You will not need a softener here, and you will use less soap and detergent than most of England.

Soft400 mg/L
Outside your tap

Your river is the Earby Beck from source to River Aire, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Earby Beck from source to River Aire as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by phosphate. It fails the chemical test, as every river, estuary and stretch of coast in England does, because of long-lasting pollutants such as mercury, PFOS (a forever chemical) and old flame retardants.

None of this is a test of your tap water. Environment Agency record · River health across England

BB18 in short

Tap water in BB18 (Pendle) is supplied by United Utilities in the Pendle Central zone and scores 9.5 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 8 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 10 November 2024.

  • The cleanest tap water of the 3 areas tested in PendleBB18 scores 9.5 out of 10, ahead of BB8 in second place on 9.4.
  • Soft water at 23 mg/LLimescale is not a problem across the BB postcode area, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Bromate at 12% of the 0.01 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Next door

BB99.4 out of 10 · 24 mg/LBB89.4 out of 10 · 33 mg/L

Questions about BB18 water

Is BB18 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, BB18 (Pendle) water scores 9.5/10, which is safe. 0 of 8 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in BB18 water?

We tested 8 contaminants in BB18 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in BB18?

BB18 (Pendle) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is BB18 water hard or soft?

No hardness reading has been published for BB18 itself. Across the BB postcode area the typical value is 23 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in BB18?

BB18 water scored 9.5/10 with no contaminants above recommended levels. A filter is optional but can improve taste, especially if you notice a chlorine flavour. See our filter recommendations for your area.

Are there PFAS forever chemicals in BB18 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for BB18, and the Environment Agency has no PFAS detections in rivers or groundwater within 10 km of it. That reflects where sampling has happened as much as the water itself.

How clean is the river near BB18?

The Environment Agency rated the Earby Beck from source to River Aire as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by phosphate. It fails the chemical test, as every river, estuary and stretch of coast in England does, because of long-lasting pollutants such as mercury, PFOS (a forever chemical) and old flame retardants. This is a rating of the river, not of tap water in BB18, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

How to test your waterBest water filtersFilter shower headsWater testing kitsUK water rankingsWater hardness checkerWater hardness map

River and groundwater readings near BB18

Environment Agency samples from rivers, groundwater and reservoirs nearby. Not your tap water. For scale they are shown against drinking water limits; rivers are judged against much stricter environmental standards, and on those every river in England fails for chemicals.

SubstanceReadingDrinking water limit
pH7.4 pHNone
Temperature12.7 °CNone
Conductivity345 µS/cmNone
Nitrate2.1 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.013 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.057 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen8.16 mg/LNone
Ammonia0.064 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Hardness (as CaCO3)151 mg/LNone
Copper0.0016 mg/L2 mg/L
Zinc0.0065 mg/LNone

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for BB18.

Source: United Utilities test results, published through the Stream Water Data Portal; rivers and PFAS from the Environment Agency. Page updated . How we score · Where the data comes from