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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in TN29, Folkestone and HytheSafe to drink.Slightly hard.

Supplied by Southern Water. 525 samples, 24 substances, latest on 16 December 2025. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

9.1 / 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

Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

£70typical price

High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity

BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO

BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO

£25typical price

Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of TN29 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 47% of it. 19 of 21 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitNitrite: 0 mg/L, 0% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite0%Copper: 0.013 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Chromium: 0.000383 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium<1%Selenium: 0.000352 mg/L, <1% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium<1%Cadmium: 0.000054 mg/L, 1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium1%Antimony: 0.000056 mg/L, 1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony1%Manganese: 0.000665 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese1%Mercury: 0.000023 mg/L, 2% of the 0.001 mg/L limitMercury2%Aluminium: 0.00513 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium3%Nickel: 0.000611 mg/L, 3% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel3%Turbidity: 0.17 NTU, 4% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity4%Iron: 0.00897 mg/L, 4% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron4%Lead: 0.000673 mg/L, 7% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead7%Nitrate: 3.4 mg/L, 7% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate7%Boron: 0.088 mg/L, 9% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron9%Fluoride: 0.142 mg/L, 9% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride9%Colour: 2 mg/L Pt/Co, 10% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour10%Ammonia: 0.06 mg/L, 12% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia12%Bromate: 0.00147 mg/L, 15% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate15%Arsenic: 0.00432 mg/L, 43% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic43%Trihalomethanes: 0.0473 mg/L, 47% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes47%
  1. Trihalomethanes47%
  2. Arsenic43%
  3. Bromate15%
  4. Ammonia12%
  5. Colour10%
  6. Fluoride9%
  7. Boron9%
  8. Nitrate7%
  9. Lead7%
  10. Iron4%
  11. Turbidity4%
  12. Nickel3%
  13. Aluminium3%
  14. Mercury2%
  15. Manganese1%
  16. Antimony1%
  17. Cadmium1%
  18. Selenium<1%
  19. Chromium<1%
  20. Copper<1%
  21. Nitrite0%
  • Coliform Bacteria none found
  • E. coli none found
  • Conductivity 304 µS/cm
All 24 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Boron0.088 mg/L1 mg/L
9%
Antimony0.000056 mg/L0.005 mg/L
1%
Ammonia0.06 mg/L0.5 mg/L
12%
Chromium0.000383 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Trihalomethanes0.0473 mg/L0.1 mg/L
47%
Coliform Bacteria0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Cadmium0.000054 mg/L0.005 mg/L
1%
E. coli0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Conductivity304 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Lead0.000673 mg/L0.01 mg/L
7%
Copper0.013 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Aluminium0.00513 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Nitrate3.4 mg/L50 mg/L
7%
Manganese0.000665 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Colour2 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
10%
Turbidity0.17 NTU4 NTU
4%
Nitrite0 mg/L0.5 mg/L
<1%
Fluoride0.142 mg/L1.5 mg/L
9%
Nickel0.000611 mg/L0.02 mg/L
3%
Bromate0.00147 mg/L0.01 mg/L
15%
Mercury0.000023 mg/L0.001 mg/L
2%
Iron0.00897 mg/L0.2 mg/L
4%
Arsenic0.00432 mg/L0.01 mg/L
43%
Selenium0.000352 mg/L0.04 mg/L
<1%

150mg of limescale minerals in every litre, typical for the TN area. TN29 has no reading of its own.

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 New Sewer at New Romney, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the New Sewer at New Romney as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by dissolved oxygen, phosphate and ammonia. 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

TN29 in short

Tap water in TN29 (Folkestone and Hythe) is supplied by Southern Water in the Folkestone and Hythe Central zone and scores 9.1 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 24 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 16 December 2025.

  • The lowest score of the 6 areas tested in Folkestone and HytheTN29 scores 9.1 out of 10. The best in Folkestone and Hythe, CT18, scores 9.5.
  • Every one of the 5 neighbouring districts scores higherCT18 next door scores 9.5, against 9.1 here. Supply zones, not distance, explain the gap. See CT18
  • Trihalomethanes is the reading closest to its limit, at 47% of the 0.1 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading

Questions about TN29 water

Is TN29 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, TN29 (Folkestone and Hythe) water scores 9.1/10, which is safe. 0 of 24 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Southern Water.

What contaminants are in TN29 water?

We tested 24 contaminants in TN29 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in TN29?

TN29 (Folkestone and Hythe) is supplied by Southern Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is TN29 water hard or soft?

No hardness reading has been published for TN29 itself. Across the TN postcode area the typical value is 150 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in TN29?

TN29 water scored 9.1/10 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 TN29 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for TN29, 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 TN29?

The Environment Agency rated the New Sewer at New Romney as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by dissolved oxygen, phosphate and ammonia. 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 TN29, 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 TN29

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
pH8.11 pHNone
Conductivity3410 µS/cmNone
Temperature10.9 °CNone
Ammonia0.153 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate2.21 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.025 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.427 mg/LNone
Hardness (as CaCO3)418 mg/LNone
Copper0.0017 mg/L2 mg/L
Zinc0.005 mg/LNone

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for TN29.

Source: Southern 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