Widespread issues with tastes and smells are extremely rare. If they occur, we will let customers in the affected area know immediately.
Does your water taste or smell different to normal?
Sometimes water can have a different taste or smell because of the source of water supplied in an area. We treat and test all the water we supply and often unusual tastes or odours relate to issues with private plumbing or appliances in your home.
Water doesn't taste the same in every area. So, if you've moved house and your water tastes different, it might be due to the different supply.
However, there are some tastes and smells that are due to local issues. Sometimes, due to local work, seasonal changes to raw water, or the age of pipes and fittings, water can develop a smell and/or taste that’s different to normal. For more information, we've put together a handy guide on tastes and smells.
A lot of the time this will just be temporary, but there are times we need you to tell us as soon as you experience the issue.
Sometimes, tastes or smells only occur at certain times. This can help find the cause of the problem.
We run a lot of tests on our water to make sure that when it leaves the treatment works it doesn't have any strange tastes or smells.
There's lots of work being done to help reduce the risk of tastes and smells being caused by our pipework. By 2050, we're aiming to reduce the number of contacts we get about this problem to zero, so that all our customers can enjoy a reliably clear glass of water.