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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in NE17, GatesheadSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by Northumbrian Water. 1,513 samples, 20 substances, latest on 6 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

ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour

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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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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of NE17 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.

Aluminium came closest to a limit, at 18% 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%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%Arsenic: 0.00016 mg/L, 2% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic2%Boron: 0.016 mg/L, 2% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron2%Selenium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Fluoride: 0.038 mg/L, 3% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride3%Iron: 0.0052 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Nickel: 0.00054 mg/L, 3% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel3%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%Colour: 0.81 mg/L Pt/Co, 4% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour4%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Bromate: 0.0005 mg/L, 5% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate5%Aluminium: 0.037 mg/L, 18% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium18%
  1. Aluminium18%
  2. Turbidity5%
  3. Bromate5%
  4. Colour4%
  5. Antimony3%
  6. Nitrate3%
  7. Nickel3%
  8. Iron3%
  9. Fluoride3%
  10. Selenium2%
  11. Arsenic2%
  12. Boron2%
  13. Chromium1%
  14. Nitrite1%
  15. Manganese<1%
  16. Lead<1%
  17. Cadmium<1%
  18. Copper<1%
  • pH 7.8 pH
  • Conductivity 180 µS/cm
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
pH7.8 pHNo legal limit–
Colour0.81 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
4%
Conductivity180 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Iron0.0052 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00033 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Aluminium0.037 mg/L0.2 mg/L
18%
Cadmium0.000018 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Arsenic0.00016 mg/L0.01 mg/L
2%
Copper0.0014 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Fluoride0.038 mg/L1.5 mg/L
3%
Nickel0.00054 mg/L0.02 mg/L
3%
Boron0.016 mg/L1 mg/L
2%
Bromate0.0005 mg/L0.01 mg/L
5%
Selenium0.00083 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Lead0.000065 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Chromium0.00067 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Nitrite0.0061 mg/L0.5 mg/L
1%
Nitrate1.5 mg/L50 mg/L
3%
Antimony0.00016 mg/L0.005 mg/L
3%

90mg 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 Derwent from Burnhope Burn to River Tyne, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Derwent from Burnhope Burn to River Tyne as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. 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

43

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 2 sites. The highest was PFBA at 0.0024 µg/L, at Derwent at Clockburn Drift, 7.4 km away, in July 2024. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

NE17 in short

Tap water in NE17 (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 6 December 2025.

  • 4th cleanest of 9 areas tested in GatesheadSquarely mid-table for Gateshead, between NE10 on 9.7 and NE9 on 9.4.
  • 0.7 points above the national average of 9Cleaner than the typical tested district in the UK. Compare every area
  • PFAS found at 2 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFBA about 7.4 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/LNE119.7 out of 10 · 153 mg/LNE219.5 out of 10 · 78 mg/LNE169.7 out of 10 · 153 mg/LNE409.4 out of 10 · 193 mg/LNE399.4 out of 10 · 78 mg/LNE429.4 out of 10 · 193 mg/L

Questions about NE17 water

Is NE17 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, NE17 (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 NE17 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in NE17 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 NE17?

NE17 (Gateshead) is supplied by Northumbrian Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is NE17 water hard or soft?

Water in NE17 (Gateshead) has a hardness of 90 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in NE17?

NE17 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 NE17 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for NE17 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 43 river and groundwater samples from 2 sites within 10 km of NE17, the highest being PFBA at 0.0024 µg/L about 7.4 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 NE17?

The Environment Agency rated the Derwent from Burnhope Burn to River Tyne as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. 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 NE17, 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 NE17

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
Iron0.19 mg/L0.2 mg/L
pH8.44 pHNone
Temperature14.3 °CNone
Conductivity1005 µS/cmNone
Nitrate13 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.0049 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.2 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen9.5 mg/LNone
Ammonia0.174 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Copper0.003 mg/L2 mg/L
Zinc0.036 mg/LNone

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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