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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in NE5, Newcastle upon TyneSafe to drink.Slightly hard.

Supplied by Northumbrian Water. 6,308 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

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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 NE5 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 25% 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: 0.015 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Lead: 0.00011 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead1%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%Boron: 0.015 mg/L, 2% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron2%Arsenic: 0.00017 mg/L, 2% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic2%Selenium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Manganese: 0.0014 mg/L, 3% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese3%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%Colour: 1.1 mg/L Pt/Co, 6% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour6%Aluminium: 0.012 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium6%Iron: 0.024 mg/L, 12% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron12%Nickel: 0.0031 mg/L, 16% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel16%Fluoride: 0.38 mg/L, 25% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride25%
  1. Fluoride25%
  2. Nickel16%
  3. Iron12%
  4. Aluminium6%
  5. Colour6%
  6. Turbidity5%
  7. Bromate5%
  8. Antimony3%
  9. Nitrate3%
  10. Manganese3%
  11. Selenium2%
  12. Arsenic2%
  13. Boron2%
  14. Chromium1%
  15. Nitrite1%
  16. Lead1%
  17. Copper<1%
  18. Cadmium<1%
  • pH 6.9 pH
  • Conductivity 280 µS/cm
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
pH6.9 pHNo legal limit–
Iron0.024 mg/L0.2 mg/L
12%
Conductivity280 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Colour1.1 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
6%
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Manganese0.0014 mg/L0.05 mg/L
3%
Aluminium0.012 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Arsenic0.00017 mg/L0.01 mg/L
2%
Copper0.015 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Chromium0.00067 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Fluoride0.38 mg/L1.5 mg/L
25%
Bromate0.0005 mg/L0.01 mg/L
5%
Boron0.015 mg/L1 mg/L
2%
Antimony0.00016 mg/L0.005 mg/L
3%
Nitrite0.0061 mg/L0.5 mg/L
1%
Nickel0.0031 mg/L0.02 mg/L
16%
Cadmium0.000018 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Selenium0.00083 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Lead0.00011 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Nitrate1.5 mg/L50 mg/L
3%

150mg 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 Ouse Burn from Source to Tyne, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Ouse Burn 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

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, 8.0 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

NE5 in short

Tap water in NE5 (Newcastle upon Tyne) is supplied by Northumbrian Water in the Newcastle upon Tyne 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.

  • 2nd cleanest of 9 areas tested in NewcastleOnly 1 area in Newcastle scored higher. The best is NE7 on 9.6. Every area in Newcastle
  • PFAS found at 4 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was 6:2 FTSA about 8 km away. What was measured
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Fluoride at 25% of the 1.5 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Next door

NE49.3 out of 10 · 178 mg/LNE69.2 out of 10 · 145 mg/LNE39.3 out of 10 · 225 mg/LNE19.4 out of 10 · 193 mg/LNE29.4 out of 10 · 183 mg/LNE139.2 out of 10 · 150 mg/LNE79.6 out of 10 · 183 mg/LNE159.3 out of 10 · 150 mg/L

Questions about NE5 water

Is NE5 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, NE5 (Newcastle upon Tyne) 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 NE5 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in NE5 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 NE5?

NE5 (Newcastle upon Tyne) is supplied by Northumbrian Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is NE5 water hard or soft?

Water in NE5 (Newcastle upon Tyne) has a hardness of 150 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in NE5?

NE5 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 NE5 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for NE5 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 102 river and groundwater samples from 4 sites within 10 km of NE5, the highest being 6:2 FTSA at 0.023 µg/L about 8 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 NE5?

The Environment Agency rated the Ouse Burn 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 NE5, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

PFAS explainedHow to test your waterBest water filtersFilter shower headsWater testing kitsAll of NewcastleUK water rankingsWater hardness checkerWater hardness map

River and groundwater readings near NE5

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
Manganese0.0856 mg/L0.05 mg/L
Iron0.251 mg/L0.2 mg/L
pH7.74 pHNone
Temperature4.6 °CNone
Conductivity732 µS/cmNone
Nitrate4.3 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.013 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.073 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen12 mg/LNone
Ammonia0.036 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Lead0.000956 mg/L0.01 mg/L
Hardness (as CaCO3)342 mg/LNone
Copper0.00201 mg/L2 mg/L

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for NE5.

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