Skip to main content
tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in NE63, NorthumberlandSafe to drink.Slightly hard.

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

9.7 / 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

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 NE63 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.

Iron came closest to a limit, at 8% 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%Lead: 0.000069 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead<1%Copper: 0.018 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Manganese: 0.00052 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese1%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: 0.00018 mg/L, 2% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic2%Nickel: 0.00039 mg/L, 2% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel2%Selenium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Boron: 0.023 mg/L, 2% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron2%Fluoride: 0.038 mg/L, 3% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride3%Antimony: 0.00016 mg/L, 3% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony3%Bromate: 0.0005 mg/L, 5% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate5%Turbidity: 0.21 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Aluminium: 0.012 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium6%Nitrate: 3.2 mg/L, 6% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate6%Colour: 1.3 mg/L Pt/Co, 7% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour7%Iron: 0.016 mg/L, 8% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron8%
  1. Iron8%
  2. Colour7%
  3. Nitrate6%
  4. Aluminium6%
  5. Turbidity5%
  6. Bromate5%
  7. Antimony3%
  8. Fluoride3%
  9. Boron2%
  10. Selenium2%
  11. Nickel2%
  12. Arsenic2%
  13. Chromium1%
  14. Nitrite1%
  15. Manganese1%
  16. Copper<1%
  17. Lead<1%
  18. Cadmium<1%
  • Conductivity 280 µS/cm
  • pH 8 pH
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Manganese0.00052 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Aluminium0.012 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Conductivity280 µS/cmNo legal limit–
pH8 pHNo legal limit–
Turbidity0.21 NTU4 NTU
5%
Colour1.3 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
7%
Iron0.016 mg/L0.2 mg/L
8%
Boron0.023 mg/L1 mg/L
2%
Fluoride0.038 mg/L1.5 mg/L
3%
Selenium0.00083 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Chromium0.00067 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Nickel0.00039 mg/L0.02 mg/L
2%
Bromate0.0005 mg/L0.01 mg/L
5%
Cadmium0.000018 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Nitrite0.0061 mg/L0.5 mg/L
1%
Lead0.000069 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Copper0.018 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Arsenic0.00018 mg/L0.01 mg/L
2%
Nitrate3.2 mg/L50 mg/L
6%
Antimony0.00016 mg/L0.005 mg/L
3%

160mg 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 Wansbeck from Bothal Burn to North Sea, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Wansbeck from Bothal Burn to North Sea as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by water plants and algae. 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

NE63 in short

Tap water in NE63 (Northumberland) is supplied by Northumbrian Water in the Northumberland 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 19 December 2025.

  • 5th cleanest of 28 areas tested in NorthumberlandOnly 4 areas in Northumberland scored higher. The best is NE41 on 9.8.
  • 0.7 points above the national average of 9Cleaner than the typical tested district in the UK. Compare every area
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Iron at 8% of the 0.2 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Next door

NE209.3 out of 10 · 138 mg/LCA99.4 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/LNE489.8 out of 10 · 68 mg/LNE249.4 out of 10 · 143 mg/LNE239.3 out of 10 · 158 mg/LNE229.5 out of 10 · 150 mg/L

Questions about NE63 water

Is NE63 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, NE63 (Northumberland) 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 NE63 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in NE63 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in NE63?

NE63 (Northumberland) is supplied by Northumbrian Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is NE63 water hard or soft?

Water in NE63 (Northumberland) has a hardness of 160 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in NE63?

NE63 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 NE63 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for NE63, and the Environment Agency has no PFAS detections in rivers or groundwater within 10 km of it. That reflects where sampling has happened as much as the water itself.

How clean is the river near NE63?

The Environment Agency rated the Wansbeck from Bothal Burn to North Sea as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by water plants and algae. 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 NE63, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

How to test your waterBest water filtersFilter shower headsWater testing kitsUK water rankingsWater hardness checkerWater hardness map

River and groundwater readings near NE63

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
Manganese0.654 mg/L0.05 mg/L
pH8.17 pHNone
Temperature9.6 °CNone
Conductivity1217 µS/cmNone
Nitrate1.6 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.01 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.01 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen9.29 mg/LNone
Iron0.0517 mg/L0.2 mg/L
Hardness (as CaCO3)510 mg/LNone
Ammonia0.062 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Copper0.00633 mg/L2 mg/L
Zinc0.0466 mg/LNone
Lead0.000849 mg/L0.01 mg/L
Cadmium0.000125 mg/L0.005 mg/L

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for NE63.

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