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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in PR26, South RibbleSafe to drink.Slightly hard.

Supplied by United Utilities. 1,181 samples, 16 substances, latest on 20 December 2024. 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

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£40typical price

Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

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Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

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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 PR26 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 26% of it. 15 of 16 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000174 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Manganese: 0.00037 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese<1%Nitrite: 0.0075 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%Aluminium: 0.00329 mg/L, 2% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium2%Chromium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium2%Iron: 0.0036 mg/L, 2% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron2%Cadmium: 0.00009 mg/L, 2% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium2%Selenium: 0.00085 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%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%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Nitrate: 2.61 mg/L, 5% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate5%Lead: 0.00055 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead6%Antimony: 0.00031 mg/L, 6% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony6%Ammonia: 0.0321 mg/L, 6% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia6%Trihalomethanes: 0.0258 mg/L, 26% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes26%
  1. Trihalomethanes26%
  2. Ammonia6%
  3. Antimony6%
  4. Lead6%
  5. Nitrate5%
  6. Turbidity5%
  7. Nickel4%
  8. Bromate3%
  9. Selenium2%
  10. Iron2%
  11. Cadmium2%
  12. Chromium2%
  13. Aluminium2%
  14. Nitrite2%
  15. Manganese<1%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Aluminium0.00329 mg/L0.2 mg/L
2%
Iron0.0036 mg/L0.2 mg/L
2%
Manganese0.00037 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Trihalomethanes0.0258 mg/L0.1 mg/L
26%
Copper0.0000174 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Nitrate2.61 mg/L50 mg/L
5%
Nitrite0.0075 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.0321 mg/L0.5 mg/L
6%
Bromate0.00033 mg/L0.01 mg/L
3%
Cadmium0.00009 mg/L0.005 mg/L
2%
Chromium0.00083 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Antimony0.00031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
6%
Selenium0.00085 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%

141mg 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 Lostock DS Farington Weir, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Lostock DS Farington Weir 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 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

238

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 7 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, 7.9 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

PR26 in short

Tap water in PR26 (South Ribble) is supplied by United Utilities in the South Ribble Central zone and scores 9.5 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 16 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 20 December 2024.

  • The cleanest tap water of the 3 areas tested in PrestonPR26 scores 9.5 out of 10, ahead of PR25 in second place on 8.8. Every area in Preston
  • PFAS found at 7 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFOA about 7.9 km away. What was measured
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Trihalomethanes at 26% of the 0.1 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Next door

PR58.8 out of 10 · 141 mg/LPR258.8 out of 10 · 136 mg/L

Questions about PR26 water

Is PR26 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, PR26 (South Ribble) water scores 9.5/10, which is safe. 0 of 16 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in PR26 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in PR26 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 PR26?

PR26 (South Ribble) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is PR26 water hard or soft?

Water in PR26 (South Ribble) has a hardness of 141 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in PR26?

PR26 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 PR26 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for PR26 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 238 river and groundwater samples from 7 sites within 10 km of PR26, the highest being PFOA at 0.088 µg/L about 7.9 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 PR26?

The Environment Agency rated the Lostock DS Farington Weir 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 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 PR26, 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 PR26

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
Temperature9.5 °CNone
Conductivity1161 µS/cmNone
Nitrate0.55 mg/L50 mg/L
Phosphate0.033 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen11.9 mg/LNone
Nitrite0.024 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Ammonia0.058 mg/L0.5 mg/L

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for PR26.

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