Among the chemicals were said to be arsenic and cyanide – two naturally occurring chemicals that could be fatal if a large amount is consumed within a certain amount of time. While the UK is known for having some of the cleanest tap water in the world, a new study by Victorian Plumbing has mapped which regions have the best and worst quality supplies of tap water. They claimed that the highest levels of these chemicals were found in supplies to people across the North East, South East, London and East Anglia.
This water reportedly contains 33.99µg/l of arsenic and cyanide, a figure they say that has increased by 2,075 percent since 2017.
The study claimed that the second most toxic water was found in Yorkshire and the Humber, followed by South West, South Wales and the North West, where there is 17.41µg/l of the chemicals in their water.
It is worth pointing out that the water supply to all these areas still meets the regulated water standards, but the increase could indicate a worrying trend.
The substances sneak into our water supply during industrial processes.
Water companies use counter-processes like distillation and filtering to lower these levels of arsenic and cyanide to meet water safety standards.
Northwest England reportedly beat the South in having the cleanest tap water.
Victorian Plumbing claimed after analysing the levels of sodium, copper and iron across each region’s water supply, overall, the South of the country officially secured the top spot for having the best tasting tap water.
Southern regions, including London, the South West and South East outnumber Northern regions, with having some of the lowest levels of these metallic substances across the board.
Victorian Plumbing also claimed that Tidworth in southwest England has the best tasting tap water, while The Isles of Scilly has the worst tasting tap water in the UK.
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By using the average percentage increase in the 99th percentile for each area, Victorian Plumbing created index of substances [of which their presence would impact negatively on the water source], allowing them to rank each source.
Victorian Plumbing’s full study can be found here – UK’s Tap Water Quality Revealed | Victorian Plumbing.
The Environmental Agency has been contacted for comment.