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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in TS4, MiddlesbroughSafe to drink.Slightly hard.

Supplied by Northumbrian Water. 2,881 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

9.4 / 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 TS4 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.

Lead came closest to a limit, at 29% of it. 17 of 18 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0022 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Cadmium: 0.000018 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Arsenic: 0.000097 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic<1%Nitrite: 0.0061 mg/L, 1% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite1%Boron: 0.013 mg/L, 1% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron1%Chromium: 0.00067 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium1%Manganese: 0.0007 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese1%Selenium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Antimony: 0.00016 mg/L, 3% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony3%Nitrate: 2.2 mg/L, 4% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate4%Nickel: 0.00095 mg/L, 5% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel5%Bromate: 0.0005 mg/L, 5% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate5%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Colour: 1.2 mg/L Pt/Co, 6% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour6%Fluoride: 0.093 mg/L, 6% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride6%Iron: 0.019 mg/L, 9% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron9%Aluminium: 0.022 mg/L, 11% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium11%Lead: 0.0029 mg/L, 29% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead29%
  1. Lead29%
  2. Aluminium11%
  3. Iron9%
  4. Fluoride6%
  5. Colour6%
  6. Bromate5%
  7. Turbidity5%
  8. Nickel5%
  9. Nitrate4%
  10. Antimony3%
  11. Selenium2%
  12. Manganese1%
  13. Chromium1%
  14. Boron1%
  15. Nitrite1%
  16. Arsenic<1%
  17. Cadmium<1%
  18. Copper<1%
  • pH 7.9 pH
  • Conductivity 230 µS/cm
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Nitrite0.0061 mg/L0.5 mg/L
1%
Bromate0.0005 mg/L0.01 mg/L
5%
Nickel0.00095 mg/L0.02 mg/L
5%
Cadmium0.000018 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Chromium0.00067 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Iron0.019 mg/L0.2 mg/L
9%
Arsenic0.000097 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Manganese0.0007 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Aluminium0.022 mg/L0.2 mg/L
11%
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Copper0.0022 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Fluoride0.093 mg/L1.5 mg/L
6%
Colour1.2 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
6%
Lead0.0029 mg/L0.01 mg/L
29%
Selenium0.00083 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Nitrate2.2 mg/L50 mg/L
4%
pH7.9 pHNo legal limit–
Antimony0.00016 mg/L0.005 mg/L
3%
Conductivity230 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Boron0.013 mg/L1 mg/L
1%

133mg 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 Marton West Beck Catchment (trib of Tidal Tees), rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Marton West Beck Catchment (trib of Tidal Tees) as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by 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

73

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 4 sites. The highest was PFOA at 0.013 µg/L, at RSN1800 Bassleton Beck at Thornaby Wood, 6.0 km away, in June 2024. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

TS4 in short

Tap water in TS4 (Middlesbrough) is supplied by Northumbrian Water in the Middlesbrough Central zone and scores 9.4 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.

  • The lowest score of the 7 areas tested in MiddlesbroughTS4 scores 9.4 out of 10. The best in Middlesbrough, TS5, scores 9.7. Every area in Middlesbrough
  • Every one of the 6 neighbouring districts scores higherTS7 next door scores 9.7, against 9.4 here. Supply zones, not distance, explain the gap. See TS7
  • PFAS found at 4 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFOA about 6 km away. What was measured

Next door

TS29.6 out of 10 · 143 mg/LTS39.6 out of 10 · 133 mg/LTS19.6 out of 10 · 143 mg/LTS89.6 out of 10 · 150 mg/LTS79.7 out of 10 · 143 mg/LTS59.7 out of 10 · 133 mg/L

Questions about TS4 water

Is TS4 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, TS4 (Middlesbrough) water scores 9.4/10, which is safe. 0 of 20 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Northumbrian Water.

What contaminants are in TS4 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in TS4 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 TS4?

TS4 (Middlesbrough) is supplied by Northumbrian Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is TS4 water hard or soft?

Water in TS4 (Middlesbrough) has a hardness of 133 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in TS4?

TS4 water scored 9.4/10 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 TS4 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for TS4 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 73 river and groundwater samples from 4 sites within 10 km of TS4, the highest being PFOA at 0.013 µg/L about 6 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 TS4?

The Environment Agency rated the Marton West Beck Catchment (trib of Tidal Tees) as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by 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 TS4, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

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

River and groundwater readings near TS4

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
Ammonia2.2 mg/L0.5 mg/L
pH7.81 pHNone
Temperature5.7 °CNone
Conductivity946 µS/cmNone
Nitrate5.7 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.16 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.18 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen8.5 mg/LNone
PFAS (total)0.0027 µg/LNone

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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