Thames Water Utilities Limited – Reading Supply System Lead
Notice under regulation 28(4) of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 (as amended)
Reference: TMS-2025-00005
Version Number: 1
Water undertaker as appointed under section 6 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended): Thames Water Utilities Limited, with registered number 02366661 (hereinafter called ‘the company’).
Assets Affected:
- T06S.006 Fobney 2 Earley
- Z0178 Tilehurst Village
- Z0187 Reading East
- Z0189 Reading Whiteknights
- Z0192 Reading West
- Z0237 Spencers Wood
- Z0239 Reading Town Central
- Z0394 Arborfield Cross
Details of this Notice:
- The Drinking Water Inspectorate (‘the Inspectorate’) has received a regulation 28(1) report of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 (as amended) (‘the Regulations’) from the company dated 21 February 2025, which states that there is or has been a significant risk of supplying water within YTMS1217 Reading supply system (and associated assets as applicable) that could constitute a potential danger to human health or could be unwholesome.
- Consequently, this Notice is served on the company by the Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State, under regulation 28(4) for the assets listed above, for risks associated with:
|
Description of Risk | Hazard/ Hazardous Event/ Parameter | Hazard I D |
|---|---|---|
|
Elevated lead concentrations above the PCV in drinking water throughout the supply system. |
B007B – Lead | Multiple Hazard lines including: TMS-7-Z0189-MDCT164-Z0189-B007B |
Table 1: Table of the hazards, hazardous events, and/or parameters covered by this Notice, including the Hazard I D numbers and the description of risks.
- The company are required to satisfy the following requirements.
The date given is that until or by which the requirements must be maintained or satisfied, as appropriate.
Requirements:
(a) To maintain the following measures for the period specified in each case:
- Continue to operate the treatment process to ensure compliance with regulation 4 of the Regulations.
Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice - Enhanced sampling at a frequency of 24 lead samples per year within each affected water supply zone for the duration of the notice.
Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice - Respond to any exceedance of the PCV or consumer contacts relating to Lead in line with company procedures.
Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice - Conduct reactive lead pipe replacement of communication pipes.
Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice - Evaluate the contribution of the company’s lead containing materials to lead failures, including lead communication pipes and brass fittings where appropriate to the lead risk and take appropriate measures to the reduce the risk to as low as practicable.
Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice - Liaison with local and public health authorities as appropriate.
Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice
(b) To review, revise or make operational the following measures, by the dates specified in each case:
- Define and implement short term mitigations to reduce risk of lead breaches in zones supplied by Fobney Works.
Date: 31 March 2026 - Conduct an investigation to identify the root cause of the lead breaches within Zones supplied by Fobney Works.
Date: 30 April 2026 - Identify an appropriate solution to mitigate the risk of elevated lead.
Date: 31 July 2027 - Produce a delivery plan for implementation of preferred solution in (b)3.
Date: 31 March 2028 - Implement the preferred solution identified in (b)3.
Date: 31 March 2030
(c) To audit whether the measures have been effective by the following means:
- Define an audit strategy to monitor the effectiveness of the measures specified in sections (a) and (b).
Date: 31 March 2026 - Implement, and keep under continuous review, the audit strategy defined in measure (c)1.
Date: Following completion of measure (c)1. onwards.
(d) Not to supply water for regulation 4(1) purposes from Fobney Works, or not to so supply unless the specified conditions below are satisfied:
- Not applicable.
(e) To provide the following information in the time and manner specified below to enable monitoring of progress towards the mitigation of the risks:
- Provide a progress report annually.
Date: by 31 January each year. - Provide a report defining the implementation of short term mitigations to reduce risk of lead breaches in zones supplied by Fobney Works, as specified in (b)1.
Date: 30 April 2026 - Provide the investigational report identifying the root cause of the lead breaches within zones supplied by Fobney Works, as specified in (b)2.
Date: 31 May 2026 - Confirm the solution to reducing the risk of lead breaches within zones supplied by Fobney Works, as specified in measure (b)3.
Date: 31 August 2027 - Provide the delivery plan for the implementation of the solution confimed in measure (b)3, as specified in measure (b)4.
Date: 30 April 2028 - Provide evidence for the implementation of the solution confimed in measure (b)3, as specified in measure (b)5.
Date: 30 April 2030 - Submit the audit strategy for auditing the effectiveness of the measures, as specified in measure (c)1.
Date: 30 April 2026 - Submit any revisions of the audit strategy produced under measure (c)2.
Date: Within 1 month of a revision - Submit a report in the event that any completed measures of this Notice need to be altered in any way, for any reason.
Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice - Submit a satisfactory completion report accompanied by a revised regulation 28(1) report with Board level Director sign-off.
Date: 30 April 2031
Further Details of this Notice:
- Any product or substance used as a result of the requirements in this Notice must comply with regulation 31.
- Under regulation 28(6) the Inspectorate, on behalf of the Secretary of State, may by notice served on the company, revoke or vary this Notice.
- Failure by the company to comply with this Notice may result in enforcement proceedings under section 18 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended).
Signed
Nicholas Adjei
Deputy Chief Inspector, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
7 January 2026
Reference: TMS-2025-00005