Press Notice
06 July 2005
Drinking Water Inspectorate – Launch of Annual Report 2004
The Drinking Water Inspectorate, the independent tap water watchdog, today announced
figures showing how tap water quality in England and Wales measures up against the new
more rigorous drinking water standards which came into force on 1st January
2004.
The Inspectorate’s 15th annual report, published today, reveals that in
England 99.94% of more than 1.8 million tests carried out in 2004 met all the national and
European health based standards. The figures for Wales were 99.92% out of more than
140,000 tests.
The Chief Inspector of Drinking Water, Professor Jeni Colbourne said:
“The new standards reset the baseline for assessing and judging drinking water
quality in the UK and across Europe at the beginning of 2004. These first year figures for
public water supplies in England and in Wales put the safety of our drinking water beyond
question.
“To coincide with the new standards, we are publishing today a new style report
that looks at drinking water quality on a regional basis. We are doing this because the
overall quality of drinking water is so high that it is more relevant to look and see
where in the country there is still a need for further improvement”.
This year’s DWI report has adopted a radically different approach in terms both of
its design and its content. It includes:
- Changes which reflect the views of local authorities
- Reporting at a community level, revealing the disparities that can exist within a region
- Focus on the consumer’s experience, not just on meeting scientific standards
- New compliance and other performance-related indices
- Full details of all incidents reported and action taken
Jeni Colbourne added:
“Our report gives details of where the very few test failures occurred in the form
of tables, maps and a commentary that we hope will be useful to local authorities and
regional Water Voice committees who represent consumers’ interests at the community
and regional level. We also show how water companies have acted to remedy any temporary
deficiencies and we detail the outcome of the Inspectorate’s independent checks,
including when enforcement action or prosecution was necessary.
“I believe this is the most comprehensive information on everything involved in
the management of the safety and quality of public water supplies to be openly published
anywhere in the world.
“Our report shows that the consumers’ experience of tap water quality does
indeed vary across the country. Consumer expectations are higher than ever and those who
intermittently receive discoloured or bad tasting water rightly want something done about
it. The permanent remedy to these aesthetic quality problems is appropriately targeted
water company, distribution and maintenance strategies. In our report we give details of
the improvement programmes that the Inspectorate is requiring of water companies over the
next five years.
“Ensuring the safety and good quality of drinking water is a never ending task of
constant vigilance by many - I hope our regional reports raise awareness of how each and
every one of us, including consumers, has a role to play. Drinking water quality is not
judged solely by a single compliance number that relates to tests done in a
laboratory”.
BACKGROUND FOR EDITORS
- The Drinking Water Inspectorate was formed in 1990 and acts as the independent regulator
of the quality of drinking water supplied by the 26 water companies in England and Wales.
The powers and duties of the Inspectorate come from the Water Industry Act 1991.
- Drinking Water 2004, the Inspectorate’s annual report, contains the following:
Introduction containing a letter to ministers and a statement by the Chief Inspector of Drinking Water
Part 1: regional overviews of drinking water quality with results, maps and commentary
Part 2: explains the role and performance of the Inspectorate
Part 3: reports on water company performance and company by company tables of drinking water quality results giving for each parameter showing the number of tests and the maximum and minimum values recorded in 2004.
Part 4: describes the Inspectorate’s scientific research and technical advice on drinking water quality and health matters.
Part 5: gives details of progress with programmes of work to improve drinking water quality, work to safeguard public health in respect of the parasite, cryptosporidium, work on approving products and processes used by water companies in supply of water.
- Drinking Water 2004 will be available in downloadable format on the Inspectorate’s
website www.dwi.gov.uk from midnight on July 5th.
- Inspectors will be presenting Drinking Water 2004 to the water industry, Water Voice
committee members and local authorities at a number of events across the country during
July. For information about these events contact
North West Ian Hamilton, 0161 952 4518 and Eileen Jones 0161 952 4501
Yorks and Humber Sheila Perry 0113 283 6596
West Midlands Andrew Myatt 0121 352 5507
East Midlands Iain Fletcher/Helen Clarke 0115 971 2793
Eastern Jenny Thompson 01223 372789
London Nicholas Mann 020 7217 3787
South East Michael Burrell 01483 882878
South West Gary Cockram (Wessex and Wales) 0117 900 3564 and
Wailim Wong SW Water 01752 635053
