Skip to main content
tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in NE21, GatesheadSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by Northumbrian Water. 2,421 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

9.5 / 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 NE21 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 39% of it. 17 of 18 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCadmium: 0.000018 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Copper: 0.011 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Manganese: 0.00028 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese<1%Lead: 0.000065 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead<1%Boron: 0.01 mg/L, 1% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron1%Arsenic: 0.00012 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic1%Nitrite: 0.0061 mg/L, 1% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite1%Chromium: 0.00075 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium2%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%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Bromate: 0.0005 mg/L, 5% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate5%Nickel: 0.0012 mg/L, 6% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel6%Aluminium: 0.019 mg/L, 9% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium9%Colour: 2 mg/L Pt/Co, 10% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour10%Fluoride: 0.59 mg/L, 39% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride39%
  1. Fluoride39%
  2. Colour10%
  3. Aluminium9%
  4. Nickel6%
  5. Turbidity5%
  6. Bromate5%
  7. Antimony3%
  8. Nitrate3%
  9. Iron3%
  10. Selenium2%
  11. Chromium2%
  12. Nitrite1%
  13. Arsenic1%
  14. Boron1%
  15. Lead<1%
  16. Manganese<1%
  17. Copper<1%
  18. Cadmium<1%
  • pH 7.8 pH
  • Conductivity 400 µS/cm
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
pH7.8 pHNo legal limit–
Conductivity400 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Aluminium0.019 mg/L0.2 mg/L
9%
Manganese0.00028 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Iron0.0052 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Colour2 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
10%
Selenium0.00083 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Nitrite0.0061 mg/L0.5 mg/L
1%
Chromium0.00075 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Bromate0.0005 mg/L0.01 mg/L
5%
Arsenic0.00012 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Fluoride0.59 mg/L1.5 mg/L
39%
Boron0.01 mg/L1 mg/L
1%
Nitrate1.5 mg/L50 mg/L
3%
Antimony0.00016 mg/L0.005 mg/L
3%
Copper0.011 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Lead0.000065 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Cadmium0.000018 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.0012 mg/L0.02 mg/L
6%

78mg 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 Blaydon Burn, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Blaydon Burn 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. 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

102

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 4 sites. The highest was 6:2 FTSA at 0.023 µg/L, at Med Burn at Medburn, 9.6 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

NE21 in short

Tap water in NE21 (Gateshead) is supplied by Northumbrian Water in the Gateshead Central zone and scores 9.5 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.

  • 5th cleanest of 9 areas tested in GatesheadSquarely mid-table for Gateshead, between NE10 on 9.7 and NE9 on 9.4.
  • PFAS found at 4 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was 6:2 FTSA about 9.6 km away. What was measured
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Fluoride at 39% of the 1.5 mg/L maximum. See every reading

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/LNE169.7 out of 10 · 153 mg/LNE409.4 out of 10 · 193 mg/LNE399.4 out of 10 · 78 mg/LNE179.7 out of 10 · 90 mg/LNE59.5 out of 10 · 150 mg/L

Questions about NE21 water

Is NE21 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, NE21 (Gateshead) water scores 9.5/10, which is safe. 0 of 20 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Northumbrian Water.

What contaminants are in NE21 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in NE21 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 NE21?

NE21 (Gateshead) is supplied by Northumbrian Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is NE21 water hard or soft?

Water in NE21 (Gateshead) has a hardness of 78 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in NE21?

NE21 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 NE21 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for NE21 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 102 river and groundwater samples from 4 sites within 10 km of NE21, the highest being 6:2 FTSA at 0.023 µg/L about 9.6 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 NE21?

The Environment Agency rated the Blaydon Burn 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. 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 NE21, 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 NE21

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 NE21.

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