Water quality, hardness and compliance in Essex and Suffolk
According to TapWater.uk's analysis, Essex & Suffolk Water scores 7.4/10 for drinking water quality across 7 monitored postcode districts in 2026. The company reports 99.96% compliance with UK drinking water standards, and the average hardness across its monitored districts is 322 mg/L CaCO₃.
7.4/10
Average score
Good
IP18
Lowest scored area
-1/10
IP17
Highest scored area
9.3/10
3
Contaminants flagged
across all areas
Scores sorted by lowest first — worst quality at the top.
Measured per district; 100% of monitored districts read hard or very hard, averaging 322 mg/L CaCO₃.
Hard water is safe to drink but drives limescale in kettles, boilers, and appliances. Check your exact postcode or read our water softener guide if scale is a daily battle in your home.
Reported compliance with UK drinking water standards.
99.96%
Compliance above 99.9% is the norm across the UK industry, which is why a compliance figure alone says little about how your water actually tastes, scales, or reads locally. The per-district scores and flagged contaminants above are where Essex & Suffolk Water's supply differs from the national picture.
All postcode districts within Essex & Suffolk Water's supply network.
Yes. Across 7 monitored postcode districts, Essex & Suffolk Water's average water quality score is 7.4/10. The lowest-scoring district we monitor is IP18 (-1/10) and the highest is IP17 (9.3/10).
Across 7 monitored districts in Essex & Suffolk Water's area, the average hardness is 322 mg/L CaCO₃ and 100% of districts read hard or very hard. Expect limescale: descaling, and in many homes a water softener, are worth considering.
Essex & Suffolk Water reported a 99.96% compliance rate against UK drinking water standards. Compliance above 99.9% is the industry norm, which is exactly why we also publish per-district environmental scores and flagged contaminant counts: legal compliance and local water character are different questions.
Essex & Suffolk Water supplies 1.8 million customers across Essex and Suffolk. The postcode districts we monitor in its area: CM1, CM2, CM3, IP17, IP18, IG1, RM8.
Active incidents affecting Essex & Suffolk Water appear at the top of this page as soon as our monitoring picks them up, alongside the affected postcodes. For supply emergencies always check Essex & Suffolk Water's own website, which carries the operational updates.