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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in PR3, WyreSafe to drink.Slightly hard.

Supplied by United Utilities. 2,186 samples, 16 substances, latest on 24 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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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 PR3 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 30% of it. 15 of 16 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%Chromium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium2%Cadmium: 0.00009 mg/L, 2% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium2%Nitrite: 0.0098 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%Selenium: 0.00085 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%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%Iron: 0.007 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Nickel: 0.00077 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Turbidity: 0.16 NTU, 4% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity4%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%Nitrate: 3.41 mg/L, 7% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate7%Trihalomethanes: 0.0303 mg/L, 30% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes30%
  1. Trihalomethanes30%
  2. Nitrate7%
  3. Ammonia6%
  4. Antimony6%
  5. Lead6%
  6. Turbidity4%
  7. Nickel4%
  8. Iron3%
  9. Bromate3%
  10. Aluminium3%
  11. Selenium2%
  12. Nitrite2%
  13. Cadmium2%
  14. Chromium2%
  15. Manganese<1%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Turbidity0.16 NTU4 NTU
4%
Aluminium0.00622 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Iron0.007 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00045 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Trihalomethanes0.0303 mg/L0.1 mg/L
30%
Nitrate3.41 mg/L50 mg/L
7%
Nitrite0.0098 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%
Copper0.0000104 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%

144mg 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 Brock, rated good

The Environment Agency rated the Brock as good for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is only slightly changed from its natural state. 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. Its ecological rating has improved since the previous assessment.

None of this is a test of your tap water. Environment Agency record · River health across England

Within 10 km

88

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 3 sites. The highest was PFOA at 0.019 µg/L, at River Brock Ptc New Draught Brook, 4.3 km away, in July 2023. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

PR3 in short

Tap water in PR3 (Wyre) is supplied by United Utilities in the Wyre 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 24 December 2024.

  • 2nd cleanest of 4 areas tested in BlackpoolOnly 1 area in Blackpool scored higher. The best is FY7 on 9.5. Every area in Blackpool
  • PFAS found at 3 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFOA about 4.3 km away. What was measured
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Trihalomethanes at 30% of the 0.1 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Next door

FY59.3 out of 10 · 129 mg/LFY79.5 out of 10 · 128 mg/LFY69.3 out of 10 · 133 mg/L

Questions about PR3 water

Is PR3 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, PR3 (Wyre) 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 PR3 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in PR3 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 PR3?

PR3 (Wyre) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is PR3 water hard or soft?

Water in PR3 (Wyre) has a hardness of 144 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in PR3?

PR3 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 PR3 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for PR3 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 88 river and groundwater samples from 3 sites within 10 km of PR3, the highest being PFOA at 0.019 µg/L about 4.3 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 PR3?

The Environment Agency rated the Brock as good for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is only slightly changed from its natural state. 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. Its ecological rating has improved since the previous assessment. This is a rating of the river, not of tap water in PR3, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

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

River and groundwater readings near PR3

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
pH8.05 pHNone
Temperature15.8 °CNone
Conductivity178 µS/cmNone
Nitrate0.88 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.0071 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.034 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen10.1 mg/LNone
Ammonia0.035 mg/L0.5 mg/L

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for PR3.

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