- Drinking Water 2025 – Summary of the Chief Inspector’s report for drinking water in England
- Foreword
- Water supplies and testing
- Compliance with water quality standards
- Learning from microbiological failures
- Learning from turbidity failures
- Learning from chemical, taste and odour failures
- Learning from pesticide failures
- Asset health and service reservoir integrity
- Consumer contacts
- Drinking water quality events
- Water safety planning and risk assessment
- Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
- Audit programme completed by the Inspectorate
- Air valve audits
- Enforcement, transformation and recommendations
- Materials in contact with drinking water (regulation 31)
- Security and Emergency Measures Direction - SEMD
- Network and Information Systems - NIS
- Research publications
- Whistleblowers
- Working with stakeholders
- Annex A – Number of tests carried out by companies
- Annex B – Compliance with standards
- Annex C – Compliance failures and events
Drinking Water 2025 – Summary of the Chief Inspector’s report for drinking water in England
Published 20:49:47 BST 6 July 2026
Published by
Drinking Water Inspectorate
Ground Floor, SW
Seacole Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
Tel: 0330 041 6501
Website: www.dwi.gov.uk
© Crown Copyright 2026
Copyright in the typographical arrangement and design rests with the Crown.
This publication (excluding the logo) may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium provided that it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as Crown copyright with the title and source of the publication specified.
Dedication
CIR 2025 is dedicated to the memory of Maria Grace who spent 40 years in the civil service with the last 14 working for the Inspectorate. Maria sadly passed away in February 2026 following a short illness. She was a highly valued member of the Inspectorate whose commitment to public service and consumers along with her sense of humour was highly valued and will be sorely missed.
Glossary
Company code with its associated company name
- AFW | Affinity Water
- ALE | Albion Eco Ltd
- ALB | Albion Water Ltd
- ANH | Anglian Water Services Ltd
- BRL | Bristol Water Plc
- CAM | Cambridge Water Company Plc
- DWR | Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water
- ESP | ESP Water Limited
- HDC | Hafren Dyfrdwy
- ICW | Icosa Water Ltd
- IWN | Independent Water Networks
- ISC | Isles of Scilly
- LNW | Leep Networks Water
- NES | Northumbrian, Essex and Suffolk Water
- PRT | Portsmouth Water Plc
- SES | SES Water
- SVT | Severn Trent Water Ltd
- SEW | South East Water Plc
- SST | South Staffordshire Water Plc
- SWB | South West and Bournemouth Water
- SRN | Southern Water Services Ltd
- TMS | Thames Water Utilities Ltd
- UUT | United Utilities Water Plc
- VWP | Veolia Water Projects
- WSX | Wessex Water Services Ltd
- YKS | Yorkshire Water Services Ltd