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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in PR0, PrestonSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 117 samples, 12 substances, latest on 14 November 2024. 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 PR0 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.

Trihalomethanes came closest to a limit, at 35% of it. 11 of 12 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000104 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Manganese: 0.00045 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese<1%Nitrite: 0.0098 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%Aluminium: 0.00622 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium3%Bromate: 0.00033 mg/L, 3% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate3%Nickel: 0.00077 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Nitrate: 2.44 mg/L, 5% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate5%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Lead: 0.00055 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead6%Iron: 0.013 mg/L, 7% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron7%Ammonia: 0.054 mg/L, 11% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia11%Trihalomethanes: 0.0348 mg/L, 35% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes35%
  1. Trihalomethanes35%
  2. Ammonia11%
  3. Iron7%
  4. Lead6%
  5. Turbidity5%
  6. Nitrate5%
  7. Nickel4%
  8. Bromate3%
  9. Aluminium3%
  10. Nitrite2%
  11. Manganese<1%
  12. Copper<1%
All 12 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Bromate0.00033 mg/L0.01 mg/L
3%
Aluminium0.00622 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Iron0.013 mg/L0.2 mg/L
7%
Manganese0.00045 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Trihalomethanes0.0348 mg/L0.1 mg/L
35%
Copper0.0000104 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Nitrate2.44 mg/L50 mg/L
5%
Nitrite0.0098 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.054 mg/L0.5 mg/L
11%

84mg 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 estuary is the Ribble, rated bad

The Environment Agency rated the Ribble as bad for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the estuary is severely damaged, with most of the expected wildlife missing. It is held back by algal blooms, fish and nitrogen. 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

177

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 9 sites. The highest was PFOA at 0.088 µg/L, at River Darwen at Blue Bridge / Samples Prior to Sept 1977 Taken at Sd 550282 - D/S of Hennel Brook/Spt Moved Again From SD55165 28000 Wef 7.12.07, 2.1 km away, in May 2024. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

PR0 in short

Tap water in PR0 (Preston) is supplied by United Utilities in the Preston Central zone and scores 9.3 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 12 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 14 November 2024.

  • 3rd cleanest of 4 areas tested in Preston1 area in Preston scored lower. The best is PR1 on 9.4. Every area in Preston
  • PFAS found at 9 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFOA about 2.1 km away. What was measured
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Trihalomethanes at 35% of the 0.1 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Next door

PR29.4 out of 10 · 84 mg/LPR19.4 out of 10 · 85 mg/LPR119.3 out of 10 · 84 mg/LPR58.8 out of 10 · 141 mg/L

Questions about PR0 water

Is PR0 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, PR0 (Preston) water scores 9.3/10, which is safe. 0 of 12 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in PR0 water?

We tested 12 contaminants in PR0 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 PR0?

PR0 (Preston) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is PR0 water hard or soft?

Water in PR0 (Preston) has a hardness of 84 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in PR0?

PR0 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 PR0 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for PR0 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 177 river and groundwater samples from 9 sites within 10 km of PR0, the highest being PFOA at 0.088 µg/L about 2.1 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 estuary near PR0?

The Environment Agency rated the Ribble as bad for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the estuary is severely damaged, with most of the expected wildlife missing. It is held back by algal blooms, fish and nitrogen. 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 estuary, not of tap water in PR0, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

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

River and groundwater readings near PR0

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
pH8.35 pHNone
Dissolved Oxygen9.62 mg/LNone
Cadmium0.000019 mg/L0.005 mg/L
Temperature8 °CNone
Conductivity505 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.035 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate2 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.049 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.033 mg/LNone
Lead0.00187 mg/L0.01 mg/L
Chromium0.00111 mg/L0.05 mg/L
Zinc0.00656 mg/LNone
PFAS (total)0.0015 µg/LNone

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Source: United Utilities 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