Skip to main content
tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in NE32, South TynesideSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by Northumbrian Water. 2,780 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

9.5 / 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 NE32 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.

Nickel came closest to a limit, at 19% of it. 18 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%Arsenic: 0.000058 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic<1%Copper: 0.016 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Boron: 0.01 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%Manganese: 0.00071 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese1%Selenium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Antimony: 0.00016 mg/L, 3% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony3%Nitrate: 2.1 mg/L, 4% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate4%Lead: 0.00044 mg/L, 4% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead4%Bromate: 0.0005 mg/L, 5% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate5%Turbidity: 0.23 NTU, 6% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity6%Iron: 0.014 mg/L, 7% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron7%Colour: 1.8 mg/L Pt/Co, 9% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour9%Fluoride: 0.21 mg/L, 14% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride14%Aluminium: 0.031 mg/L, 16% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium16%Nickel: 0.0038 mg/L, 19% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel19%
  1. Nickel19%
  2. Aluminium16%
  3. Fluoride14%
  4. Colour9%
  5. Iron7%
  6. Turbidity6%
  7. Bromate5%
  8. Lead4%
  9. Nitrate4%
  10. Antimony3%
  11. Selenium2%
  12. Manganese1%
  13. Chromium1%
  14. Nitrite1%
  15. Boron1%
  16. Copper<1%
  17. Arsenic<1%
  18. Cadmium<1%
  • pH 7.8 pH
  • Conductivity 170 µS/cm
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Aluminium0.031 mg/L0.2 mg/L
16%
Turbidity0.23 NTU4 NTU
6%
Manganese0.00071 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
pH7.8 pHNo legal limit–
Conductivity170 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Colour1.8 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
9%
Iron0.014 mg/L0.2 mg/L
7%
Bromate0.0005 mg/L0.01 mg/L
5%
Fluoride0.21 mg/L1.5 mg/L
14%
Cadmium0.000018 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Antimony0.00016 mg/L0.005 mg/L
3%
Nitrite0.0061 mg/L0.5 mg/L
1%
Lead0.00044 mg/L0.01 mg/L
4%
Boron0.01 mg/L1 mg/L
1%
Arsenic0.000058 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.0038 mg/L0.02 mg/L
19%
Copper0.016 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Chromium0.00067 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Selenium0.00083 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Nitrate2.1 mg/L50 mg/L
4%

70mg 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 Don from Source to Tidal Limit, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Don from Source to Tidal Limit 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

60

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 3 sites. The highest was 6:2 FTSA at 0.029 µg/L, at Don at Jarrow Cemetery, under 1 km away, in January 2026. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

NE32 in short

Tap water in NE32 (South Tyneside) is supplied by Northumbrian Water in the South Tyneside 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 19 December 2025.

  • The lowest score of the 6 areas tested in South TynesideNE32 scores 9.5 out of 10. The best in South Tyneside, NE33, scores 9.6.
  • PFAS found at 3 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was 6:2 FTSA about 0.7 km away. What was measured
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Nickel at 19% of the 0.02 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Next door

NE339.6 out of 10 · 68 mg/LNE319.5 out of 10 · 70 mg/LNE359.6 out of 10 · 70 mg/LNE349.6 out of 10 · 68 mg/LNE369.6 out of 10 · 70 mg/LNE289.3 out of 10 · 145 mg/LNE298.7 out of 10 · 140 mg/L

Questions about NE32 water

Is NE32 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, NE32 (South Tyneside) 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 NE32 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in NE32 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 NE32?

NE32 (South Tyneside) is supplied by Northumbrian Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is NE32 water hard or soft?

Water in NE32 (South Tyneside) has a hardness of 70 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in NE32?

NE32 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 NE32 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for NE32 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 60 river and groundwater samples from 3 sites within 10 km of NE32, the highest being 6:2 FTSA at 0.029 µg/L about 0.7 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 NE32?

The Environment Agency rated the Don from Source to Tidal Limit 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 NE32, 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 NE32

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
Manganese0.183 mg/L0.05 mg/L
Iron3.53 mg/L0.2 mg/L
pH8.29 pHNone
Temperature15.4 °CNone
Conductivity1354 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.091 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate1.4 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.017 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.15 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen7.11 mg/LNone
Aluminium0.0415 mg/L0.2 mg/L

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for NE32.

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