Skip to main content
tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in BL8, BurySafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 1,995 samples, 16 substances, latest on 30 December 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

ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour

ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour

£40typical price

Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

Check price at Amazon (opens in new tab)
Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

£70typical price

High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity

Check price at Waterdrop (opens in new tab)
BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO

BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO

£25typical price

Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

Check price at Amazon (opens in new tab)

We earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which product we put first. How we make money

What's in a glass of BL8 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.

Trihalomethanes came closest to a limit, at 20% of it. 16 of 16 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: 0.00065 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese1%Chromium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium2%Cadmium: 0.00009 mg/L, 2% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium2%Nitrite: 0.0098 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%Selenium: 0.00085 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Aluminium: 0.00622 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium3%Bromate: 0.00033 mg/L, 3% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate3%Turbidity: 0.16 NTU, 4% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity4%Nickel: 0.00093 mg/L, 5% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel5%Lead: 0.00055 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead6%Iron: 0.011 mg/L, 5% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron5%Antimony: 0.00031 mg/L, 6% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony6%Nitrate: 4.38 mg/L, 9% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate9%Ammonia: 0.054 mg/L, 11% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia11%Trihalomethanes: 0.0199 mg/L, 20% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes20%
  1. Trihalomethanes20%
  2. Ammonia11%
  3. Nitrate9%
  4. Antimony6%
  5. Lead6%
  6. Iron5%
  7. Nickel5%
  8. Turbidity4%
  9. Bromate3%
  10. Aluminium3%
  11. Selenium2%
  12. Nitrite2%
  13. Cadmium2%
  14. Chromium2%
  15. Manganese1%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Cadmium0.00009 mg/L0.005 mg/L
2%
Chromium0.00083 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Antimony0.00031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
6%
Selenium0.00085 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Bromate0.00033 mg/L0.01 mg/L
3%
Aluminium0.00622 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Iron0.011 mg/L0.2 mg/L
5%
Manganese0.00065 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Turbidity0.16 NTU4 NTU
4%
Trihalomethanes0.0199 mg/L0.1 mg/L
20%
Ammonia0.054 mg/L0.5 mg/L
11%
Nitrate4.38 mg/L50 mg/L
9%
Nitrite0.0098 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Copper0.0000104 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00093 mg/L0.02 mg/L
5%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%

26mg of limescale minerals in every litre

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 Kirklees Brook, rated good

The Environment Agency rated the Kirklees Brook as good for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is only slightly changed from its natural state. It is held back by fish. 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. Its ecological rating has improved since the previous assessment.

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

Within 10 km

127

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 6 sites. The highest was PFOA at 0.035 µg/L, at River Irwell at Old Ringley Bridge, 7.1 km away, in May 2024. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

Every PFAS sample around Blackburn · Which filters remove PFAS · PFAS explained

BL8 in short

Tap water in BL8 (Bury) is supplied by United Utilities in the Bury Central zone and scores 9.5 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 16 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 30 December 2024.

  • 2nd cleanest of 6 areas tested in BuryOnly 1 area in Bury scored higher. The best is BL0 on 9.5.
  • Soft water at 26 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in BL8, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
  • PFAS found at 6 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFOA about 7.1 km away. What was measured

Next door

BL09.5 out of 10 · 25 mg/LBL99.5 out of 10 · 30 mg/LM459.5 out of 10 · 31 mg/LM269.1 out of 10 · 26 mg/LM259.3 out of 10 · 30 mg/L

Questions about BL8 water

Is BL8 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, BL8 (Bury) water scores 9.5/10, which is safe. 0 of 16 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in BL8 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in BL8 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels. PFAS (forever chemicals) were also measured in rivers and groundwater within 10 km, though not in the tap-water tests themselves.

Who supplies water in BL8?

BL8 (Bury) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is BL8 water hard or soft?

Water in BL8 (Bury) has a hardness of 26 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in BL8?

BL8 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 BL8 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for BL8 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 127 river and groundwater samples from 6 sites within 10 km of BL8, the highest being PFOA at 0.035 µg/L about 7.1 km away. These are environmental samples, not tests of tap water. The UK currently has no legal limit for PFAS in drinking water; the Drinking Water Inspectorate uses a 0.1 µg/L guideline for individual compounds. Reverse osmosis filters can reduce PFAS levels.

How clean is the river near BL8?

The Environment Agency rated the Kirklees Brook as good for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is only slightly changed from its natural state. It is held back by fish. 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. Its ecological rating has improved since the previous assessment. This is a rating of the river, not of tap water in BL8, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

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

River and groundwater readings near BL8

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
Phosphate0.038 mg/LNone
Nitrate0.53 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.015 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Ammonia0.03 mg/L0.5 mg/L
pH8.19 pHNone
Temperature5.9 °CNone
Conductivity327 µS/cmNone
Dissolved Oxygen12.2 mg/LNone
Copper0.00247 mg/L2 mg/L
Zinc0.0069 mg/LNone

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for BL8.

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