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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in M25, BurySafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 1,597 samples, 16 substances, latest on 23 December 2024. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.3 / 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

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Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

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High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity

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BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO

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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of M25 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 27% of it. 15 of 16 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.000015 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%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%Manganese: 0.00125 mg/L, 3% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese3%Iron: 0.007 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Bromate: 0.00038 mg/L, 4% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate4%Nickel: 0.00077 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Nitrate: 2.44 mg/L, 5% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate5%Aluminium: 0.0118 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium6%Turbidity: 0.24 NTU, 6% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity6%Antimony: 0.00031 mg/L, 6% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony6%Ammonia: 0.054 mg/L, 11% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia11%Lead: 0.00168 mg/L, 17% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead17%Trihalomethanes: 0.0274 mg/L, 27% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes27%
  1. Trihalomethanes27%
  2. Lead17%
  3. Ammonia11%
  4. Antimony6%
  5. Turbidity6%
  6. Aluminium6%
  7. Nitrate5%
  8. Nickel4%
  9. Bromate4%
  10. Iron3%
  11. Manganese3%
  12. Selenium2%
  13. Nitrite2%
  14. Cadmium2%
  15. Chromium2%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Turbidity0.24 NTU4 NTU
6%
Aluminium0.0118 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Iron0.007 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00125 mg/L0.05 mg/L
3%
Copper0.000015 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00168 mg/L0.01 mg/L
17%
Bromate0.00038 mg/L0.01 mg/L
4%
Trihalomethanes0.0274 mg/L0.1 mg/L
27%
Nitrate2.44 mg/L50 mg/L
5%
Nitrite0.0098 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.054 mg/L0.5 mg/L
11%
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%

30mg 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 Irwell (Croal to Irk), rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Irwell (Croal to Irk) as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by insects and other small river life, ammonia and 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

Within 10 km

173

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 9 sites. The highest was PFBA at 0.05 µg/L, at Holts Brewery Replacement Borehole SJ89/283, 4.5 km away, in January 2024. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

M25 in short

Tap water in M25 (Bury) is supplied by United Utilities in the Bury Central zone and scores 9.3 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 23 December 2024.

  • 5th cleanest of 6 areas tested in Bury1 area in Bury scored lower. The best is BL0 on 9.5.
  • Soft water at 30 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in M25, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
  • PFAS found at 9 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFBA about 4.5 km away. What was measured

Next door

BL09.5 out of 10 · 25 mg/LBL99.5 out of 10 · 30 mg/LBL89.5 out of 10 · 26 mg/LM459.5 out of 10 · 31 mg/LM269.1 out of 10 · 26 mg/LM29.4 out of 10 · 28 mg/LM39.4 out of 10 · 29 mg/LM89.4 out of 10 · 28 mg/LM49.5 out of 10 · 29 mg/LM59.5 out of 10 · 29 mg/L

Questions about M25 water

Is M25 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, M25 (Bury) water scores 9.3/10, which is safe. 0 of 16 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in M25 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in M25 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 M25?

M25 (Bury) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is M25 water hard or soft?

Water in M25 (Bury) has a hardness of 30 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in M25?

M25 water scored 9.3/10 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 M25 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for M25 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 173 river and groundwater samples from 9 sites within 10 km of M25, the highest being PFBA at 0.05 µg/L about 4.5 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 M25?

The Environment Agency rated the Irwell (Croal to Irk) as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by insects and other small river life, ammonia and 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 M25, 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 M25

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
Turbidity12.3 NTU4 NTU
pH7.62 pHNone
Temperature15.9 °CNone
Conductivity393 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.14 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate2.8 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.086 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.042 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen9.28 mg/LNone

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for M25.

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