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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in NE20, NorthumberlandSafe to drink.Slightly hard.

Supplied by Northumbrian Water. 3,729 samples, 20 substances, latest on 19 December 2025. 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

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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 NE20 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 57% of it. 17 of 18 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitManganese: 0.00028 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese<1%Cadmium: 0.000033 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Lead: 0.000068 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead<1%Nitrite: 0.0061 mg/L, 1% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite1%Boron: 0.013 mg/L, 1% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron1%Chromium: 0.0007 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium1%Arsenic: 0.00019 mg/L, 2% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic2%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%Antimony: 0.00016 mg/L, 3% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony3%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Bromate: 0.0005 mg/L, 5% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate5%Copper: 0.11 mg/L, 6% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper6%Aluminium: 0.012 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium6%Nitrate: 3 mg/L, 6% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate6%Colour: 1.9 mg/L Pt/Co, 10% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour10%Nickel: 0.0025 mg/L, 13% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel13%Fluoride: 0.85 mg/L, 57% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride57%
  1. Fluoride57%
  2. Nickel13%
  3. Colour10%
  4. Aluminium6%
  5. Nitrate6%
  6. Copper6%
  7. Turbidity5%
  8. Bromate5%
  9. Antimony3%
  10. Iron3%
  11. Selenium2%
  12. Arsenic2%
  13. Chromium1%
  14. Boron1%
  15. Nitrite1%
  16. Lead<1%
  17. Cadmium<1%
  18. Manganese<1%
  • pH 7.1 pH
  • Conductivity 270 µS/cm
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
pH7.1 pHNo legal limit–
Iron0.0052 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Aluminium0.012 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Manganese0.00028 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Colour1.9 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
10%
Conductivity270 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Nitrate3 mg/L50 mg/L
6%
Nitrite0.0061 mg/L0.5 mg/L
1%
Cadmium0.000033 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Copper0.11 mg/L2 mg/L
6%
Selenium0.00083 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Chromium0.0007 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Bromate0.0005 mg/L0.01 mg/L
5%
Nickel0.0025 mg/L0.02 mg/L
13%
Lead0.000068 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Arsenic0.00019 mg/L0.01 mg/L
2%
Boron0.013 mg/L1 mg/L
1%
Fluoride0.85 mg/L1.5 mg/L
57%
Antimony0.00016 mg/L0.005 mg/L
3%

138mg 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 Pont from Small Burn to Blyth, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Pont from Small Burn to Blyth 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. 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

63

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 2 sites. The highest was 6:2 FTSA at 0.023 µg/L, at Med Burn at Medburn, 2.6 km away, in January 2025. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

NE20 in short

Tap water in NE20 (Northumberland) is supplied by Northumbrian Water in the Northumberland Central zone and scores 9.3 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 19 December 2025.

  • Fluoride is the reading closest to its limit, at 57% of the 1.5 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • 21st cleanest of 28 areas tested in Northumberland7 areas in Northumberland scored lower. The best is NE41 on 9.8.
  • PFAS found at 2 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was 6:2 FTSA about 2.6 km away. What was measured

Next door

CA99.4 out of 10 · 8 mg/LNE679.3 out of 10 · 168 mg/LNE709.3 out of 10 · 168 mg/LNE719.4 out of 10 · 135 mg/LNE699.3 out of 10 · 168 mg/LNE479.8 out of 10 · 153 mg/LNE239.3 out of 10 · 158 mg/LNE229.5 out of 10 · 150 mg/LNE249.4 out of 10 · 143 mg/LNE419.8 out of 10 · 193 mg/L

Questions about NE20 water

Is NE20 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, NE20 (Northumberland) water scores 9.3/10, which is safe. 0 of 20 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Northumbrian Water.

What contaminants are in NE20 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in NE20 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 NE20?

NE20 (Northumberland) is supplied by Northumbrian Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is NE20 water hard or soft?

Water in NE20 (Northumberland) has a hardness of 138 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in NE20?

NE20 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 NE20 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for NE20 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 63 river and groundwater samples from 2 sites within 10 km of NE20, the highest being 6:2 FTSA at 0.023 µg/L about 2.6 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 NE20?

The Environment Agency rated the Pont from Small Burn to Blyth 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. 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 NE20, 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 NE20

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
pH8.22 pHNone
Temperature15.3 °CNone
Conductivity612 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.042 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate0.46 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.0041 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.08 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen7.79 mg/LNone
Copper0.00115 mg/L2 mg/L

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for NE20.

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