- 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
Whistleblowers
Ten disclosures were made to the Inspectorate for the reporting period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. Of these, nine required further investigation by the Inspectorate. Further action was taken from five of the disclosures made after these were investigated by the Inspectorate. This included the issuing of recommendations relating to company processes, policies and procedures.
To help foster an open and supportive culture the Inspectorate encourages companies to take initiatives such as a reporting line for water quality and network information system concerns (similar to which some companies have in place to report health and safety concerns) and to have a formal whistleblowing policy in place.