With concerns about drinking water quality hitting the headlines in recent months, we know some of our customers want more information on the work we do to keep tap water in tip top condition but also any issues they should look out for in their own homes too. For many years we’ve offered free advice and testing for lead pipes in customers’ homes. Nicole Davies, Senior Strategy Scientist, explains how you can find out more, what to do, and how we can help.

Lots of us assume that lead water pipes are a thing of the past – and for most part that’s true. But some customers, particularly those living in older properties, might be surprised to learn that they may have lead pipework which can impact the quality of their drinking water, and that’s something we take very seriously.

Although actual lead poisoning is thankfully very rare, consuming lead over a sustained period of time can be harmful to your health, especially for children aged 10 and under, and pregnant women, so it’s important to follow this advice.

Where does lead in drinking water come from?

At Anglian Water, we make sure that all the water leaving our treatment plants is lead-free. All of our water mains are lead free, and made from plastic or cast iron. There are still lead pipes in the network, on the smaller pipes which connect your property to the water main, but we are working to replace these by 2050.

However we’re only responsible for the pipes up to the external stop tap/meter at a customer’s property. The supply pipe is the homeowner’s responsibility. If either of these pipes are made from lead, there could be very small amounts of lead in your drinking water, especially if you’ve been on holiday or haven’t used your taps for a while.

Although lead pipes aren’t allowed to be used in drinking water pipes any more, lead solder is still allowed to be used in closed central heating systems. If your pipes were installed before 1987, there is a greater chance that they are joined by lead solder – so this is something to check too. Equally, if you’re planning work on your water pipes inside the house, always make sure you use a WaterSafe Approved plumber and ask them if they are using lead free solder.

How do I know if have lead pipes?

If your home was built after 1970, it is very unlikely to have lead pipes. Older homes are at a greater risk, although it’s still rare.

There are some key hotspots in our region, where we know properties are more likely to have lead pipework – these include parts of Norwich. In these areas, we run proactive engagement to make sure our customers are informed about the risk of lead pipework. These include adverts in hospital and school magazines, maternity units, and in person engagement at community events. We’re also currently proactively replacing lead pipes in Norwich; whenever we carry out work like this, we make sure to get in touch with local customers to let them know why we’re working on the network near them.

If you or your landlord had a survey carried out when your property was purchased, any lead pipes should have been highlighted as part of the results. If you are moving soon, or have recently moved, you can let us know here – as part of the information we send out to all home-movers, we’ll provide details about how to check your property for lead pipe and contact us to carry out a free lead test.

If you’re worried about lead pipes at your property, you can carry out these simple tests:

1. Find the pipe leading to your internal stop tap and the kitchen tap (it’s usually under your kitchen sink or in the downstairs toilet). Unpainted lead pipes will be dark grey or black, and their joints will look swollen.
2. Scrape the pipes gently with a coin. If they’re lead, shiny silver strips will appear.
3. Tapping a lead pipe with a metal object will produce a dull thud rather than a clear ringing.

If you’re not sure, or concerned, call our Lead Advice Line on 0345 070 3445 to book a free lead test or use our online form.

How we sample for lead

We will take 4 samples from your kitchen tap and one from outside your property at the boundary box (if your property has one). This will give us a good indication if lead is present, and where it might be located.

The level of lead in drinking water can be higher if your tap hasn’t been used for a while, because the lead has more time to dissolve into the water. That’s why flushing and stagnation are important steps in our sampling process.

1. First, we’ll take a spot sample from your kitchen tap, without flushing it.
2. Then we will flush your tap for two minutes.
3. We will take a second sample, known as the flushed sample. Then we’ll turn off the tap for 30 minutes.
4. After we’ve waited for half an hour, we’ll collect the third sample of water from the tap, known as the stagnation sample.
5. Lastly, we will take a fourth sample from your boundary box outside your property (if your property has one). This will also include a 30 minute period where you will you not be able to use your water.
6. We’ll take the sample to be tested in our Huntingdon labs. It takes about 10 working days for sample results to be returned to you.
7. As soon as we get the sample back, we’ll let you know how much – if any – lead is present in your drinking water.

What can you do if you have lead pipes in your home?

If you’re worried about lead in your pipes, there are some easy things you can do to reduce the risk.

• Most importantly, run the tap for a couple of minutes before you use it for drinking or cooking. If water has stood in your pipes for a few hours or more, any lead is likely to be more concentrated – so flushing your taps can reduce the amount of lead present. Make sure you don’t waste this water! It can be used in the garden, or for watering houseplants.
• Use flushed cold tap water for drinking or cooking. Hot tap water dissolves more lead than cold water, so the temperature of your drinking water is important.
• Book a free lead test so we can put your mind at rest – or help advise you on how to fix the problem.
• If you are doing any renovation work on your property, please note any disturbance to your lead pipe can elevate lead levels, so please make sure you carefully follow the flushing advice.

If our free test shows that you do have lead in your drinking water, we recommend that you replace the affected pipe – usually your supply pipe, which leads from the stop valve outside your property to the point where it enters your home.

Renters should get in touch with their landlord – they have a responsibility to replace the pipe under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018.

Make sure you use an approved plumber to replace your pipe. We work with WaterSafe, an organisation which helps customers find competent and qualified plumbers in their area. Check here to make sure you’re using an APLUS approved plumber, who’ll get the job done safely.