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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in NE11, GatesheadSafe to drink.Slightly hard.

Supplied by Northumbrian Water. 3,043 samples, 20 substances, latest on 15 December 2025. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.7 / 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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Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

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High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity

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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of NE11 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.

Fluoride came closest to a limit, at 16% of it. 18 of 18 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0014 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Cadmium: 0.000018 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Lead: 0.000065 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead<1%Manganese: 0.00033 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese<1%Arsenic: 0.000088 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic<1%Boron: 0.011 mg/L, 1% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron1%Nitrite: 0.0061 mg/L, 1% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite1%Chromium: 0.00067 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium1%Selenium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Iron: 0.0052 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Nitrate: 1.5 mg/L, 3% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate3%Antimony: 0.00016 mg/L, 3% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony3%Nickel: 0.00083 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Bromate: 0.0005 mg/L, 5% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate5%Aluminium: 0.02 mg/L, 10% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium10%Colour: 2.1 mg/L Pt/Co, 11% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour11%Fluoride: 0.24 mg/L, 16% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride16%
  1. Fluoride16%
  2. Colour11%
  3. Aluminium10%
  4. Turbidity5%
  5. Bromate5%
  6. Nickel4%
  7. Antimony3%
  8. Nitrate3%
  9. Iron3%
  10. Selenium2%
  11. Chromium1%
  12. Nitrite1%
  13. Boron1%
  14. Arsenic<1%
  15. Manganese<1%
  16. Lead<1%
  17. Cadmium<1%
  18. Copper<1%
  • pH 7.8 pH
  • Conductivity 390 µS/cm
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Manganese0.00033 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Aluminium0.02 mg/L0.2 mg/L
10%
Colour2.1 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
11%
Iron0.0052 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
pH7.8 pHNo legal limit–
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Conductivity390 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Nitrite0.0061 mg/L0.5 mg/L
1%
Lead0.000065 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00083 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Arsenic0.000088 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Antimony0.00016 mg/L0.005 mg/L
3%
Chromium0.00067 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Cadmium0.000018 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Bromate0.0005 mg/L0.01 mg/L
5%
Nitrate1.5 mg/L50 mg/L
3%
Selenium0.00083 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Fluoride0.24 mg/L1.5 mg/L
16%
Copper0.0014 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Boron0.011 mg/L1 mg/L
1%

153mg of limescale minerals in every litre

Middling hardness. Some scale, slowly

Below the point where a softener pays for itself. Descaling the kettle now and then is all most homes need.

Soft400 mg/L
Outside your tap

Your river is the Team from Source to Tyne, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Team from Source to Tyne as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by fish, insects and other small river life 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

100

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 3 sites. The highest was PFBS at 0.0067 µg/L, at Team at Third Avenue Bridge, 1.0 km away, in July 2026. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

NE11 in short

Tap water in NE11 (Gateshead) is supplied by Northumbrian Water in the Gateshead Central zone and scores 9.7 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 20 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 15 December 2025.

  • 2nd cleanest of 9 areas tested in GatesheadOnly 1 area in Gateshead scored higher. The best is NE10 on 9.7.
  • 0.7 points above the national average of 9Cleaner than the typical tested district in the UK. Compare every area
  • PFAS found at 3 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFBS about 1 km away. What was measured

Next door

NE89.5 out of 10 · 180 mg/LNE99.4 out of 10 · 160 mg/LNE109.7 out of 10 · 180 mg/LNE219.5 out of 10 · 78 mg/LNE409.4 out of 10 · 193 mg/LNE399.4 out of 10 · 78 mg/LNE169.7 out of 10 · 153 mg/LNE179.7 out of 10 · 90 mg/LNE49.3 out of 10 · 178 mg/LNE19.4 out of 10 · 193 mg/L

Questions about NE11 water

Is NE11 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, NE11 (Gateshead) water scores 9.7/10, which is safe. 0 of 20 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Northumbrian Water.

What contaminants are in NE11 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in NE11 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 NE11?

NE11 (Gateshead) is supplied by Northumbrian Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is NE11 water hard or soft?

Water in NE11 (Gateshead) has a hardness of 153 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in NE11?

NE11 water scored 9.7/10 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 NE11 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for NE11 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 100 river and groundwater samples from 3 sites within 10 km of NE11, the highest being PFBS at 0.0067 µg/L about 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 NE11?

The Environment Agency rated the Team from Source to Tyne as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by fish, insects and other small river life 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 NE11, 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 NE11

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
Turbidity4.3 NTU4 NTU
Lead0.0045 mg/L0.01 mg/L
pH8.62 pHNone
Temperature19.9 °CNone
Conductivity758 µS/cmNone
Cadmium0.000019 mg/L0.005 mg/L
Nitrate2.9 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.0047 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.029 mg/LNone
Zinc0.014 mg/LNone
Nickel0.0062 mg/L0.02 mg/L
Arsenic0.0012 mg/L0.01 mg/L
Copper0.0064 mg/L2 mg/L
Manganese0.031 mg/L0.05 mg/L
Iron0.15 mg/L0.2 mg/L

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for NE11.

Source: Northumbrian Water 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