I Am Investigating the UK’s Water Supply - Here’s What I Found So Far

An FOI Investigation Into UK Water Contamination has revealed shocking figures.

Before we begin, a quick disclaimer.
I am not a medical professional, and this article does not offer health or medical advice. The information presented here was obtained through a Freedom of Information request submitted under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. This data is public, and I’m publishing it in the interest of transparency, public awareness, and accountability.

I’d also like to thank Josh Fearne from The Lotus Eaters for reviewing the dataset. Josh holds an MRes (Master of Research) in Psychological Research Methodology and brings extensive experience in quantitative statistical analysis. His assistance adds confidence to the verification and contextualisation of the data you’ll see below.

For the past few months, I’ve been quietly investigating potential contamination in the UK’s water supply — asking a simple question: What exactly is in the water we drink every day?

Not what the glossy reports say. Not what gets summarised in press releases.
But the raw data — as held by the water companies themselves.

In February 2025, I submitted FOI requests to nearly every major water company in the UK, asking for:

• A full record of any contaminants that exceeded legal safety limits

• Between the years 2020 and 2025

• Including any internal risk reviews or public health notifications

Some companies are still processing my request. Others have delayed or requested payment to release the data.
But the data that has come back — especially from Wessex Water — is already deeply concerning.

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Between 2020 and 2025, Wessex Water recorded dozens of incidents in which contaminant levels exceeded legal safety thresholds. These are not minor breaches — some of the figures are staggering.

Thanks to the FOI response, we now have direct access to the lab results. Each reading includes:

• The date of detection

• The contaminant type (e.g. lead, iron, copper)

• The concentration, measured in micrograms per litre (µg/L) — the legal standard for tracking contaminants

Wessex Water clarified that these samples were taken pre-treatment (i.e. before filtration or dilution). While they may not reflect what reaches consumer taps, any breach of a legal limit requires:

• An internal investigation

• A public health risk review

• And potentially, a notification to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)

However, unless a full boil notice or public health warning is issued, most of these incidents are handled quietly — with no public alert.

Raw data standardised and sorted into highest measured contaminant

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The Shocking Numbers

One of the most extreme findings came from a March 12, 2021 sample showing:
1.8 million micrograms per litre of unflushed lead.

For context, the legal UK limit for lead in drinking water is 10 µg/L.

This reading was 180,000 times over the legal limit.

Yes — you read that correctly.

Alongside lead, the following contaminants were also frequently recorded:

• Iron

• Copper

• Aluminium

• Manganese

• Nickel

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What’s Missing?

Interestingly, despite requesting data on:

• PFAS chemicals (“forever chemicals”)

• Pharmaceuticals

• Microplastics

None of these appeared in the Wessex dataset. This could suggest:

1. They are not routinely monitored,

2. They were not detected, or

3. The results are being withheld or categorised differently.

While Wessex Water appears to be following the letter of the law, the public remains largely unaware of what might be flowing through their taps — unless they:

• Conduct their own testing

• Develop symptoms

• Or submit a formal information request

This raises serious questions about:

• Transparency

• Infrastructure decay

• Public trust

This is not medical advice, but it is public information — and it deserves public attention.

This is only the beginning. I’m still awaiting responses from other major water companies, and I plan to release a full report and presentation once I’ve compiled everything.

If you’d like to support this investigation — particularly as some companies are charging up to £187 to release public data — you can do so here:
donorbox.org/foirequests

You can also download the statistics for yourself to analyse here.