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Water quality concerns

The Drinking Water Inspectorate (the Inspectorate) is the drinking water quality regulator for England and Wales only. If you are concerned about the quality of your drinking water, you should contact your water company. Contact details for your water company are listed on Water UK’s website.

The drinking water quality regulator in Scotland is the Drinking Water Quality Regulator.

The drinking water quality regulator for Northern Ireland is the Drinking Water Inspectorate – Northern Ireland.

All enquiries about private water supplies should be directed to the environmental health section of your local authority. You can find contact details for all local authorities on the government’s website. The Inspectorate has published some supportive material on private water supplies on its website.

The Inspectorate has produced leaflets for common water quality concerns including:

• Chlorine        
• Discoloured water
• Domestic water filters and softeners
• Fluoride
• Lead
• PFAS
• Private water supplies
• Taste and odour
• Water hardness
• Water testing
• White or cloudy water

Further consumer leaflets on various aspects of drinking water quality are published on the Inspectorate’s website.

If, after contacting your water company to report a drinking water quality concern, you are not happy with its response, you can ask the Inspectorate to investigate using this online form.

Please refer to the following pages on the Inspectorate’s website for information on:

• Annual reports
• Research
• Regulation 31
• Vacancies and recruitment

Other stakeholders

Ofwat is the economic regulator for the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales. Its contact details can be found via its website.

The Environment Agency (England) and Natural Resources Wales are responsible for maintaining or improving the quality of fresh, marine, surface and underground water in England and Wales. The Environment Agency can be contacted via its website. Natural Resources Wales can be contacted via its website.

Complaints regarding customer service, billing and water supply interruptions by a water company should be directed to the Consumer Council for Water via its website.

Information on the Inspectorate’s policy on whistleblowing is provided in the whistleblowing section of its website.

Freedom of Information (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) requests

Please read about the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and how to make a request. You can make a new request by using the contact details below.

Contact details

Should you still need to contact the Inspectorate, including to make an information request, you can do so in the following ways:

Online: Online form

Phone: 0330 041 6501

In writing:
DWI Enquiries
Seacole Building
Ground Floor
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
United Kingdom

When contacting the Inspectorate, please read the Inspectorate’s privacy notice on General Data Protection Regulation.

Any complaints regarding the Drinking Water Inspectorate should follow the Inspectorate’s complaints procedure.