Our tap water is tops for quality

Watchdogs have praised the highest standards in quality of drinking water.

The Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland’s latest annual report shows compliance with the stringent standards is extremely high at 99.91 per cent.

Scottish Water takes and analyses samples 365 days a year and the report on water quality in 2016 states that a total of 311,560 regulatory tests were carried out.

Of those taken from the consumers’ taps, 99.91 per cent met the required standards, which is a significant improvement on 2002, the year Scottish Water was formed, when only 99.28 per cent of tests complied.

Sue Petch, the Drinking Water Quality Regulator, said: “Consumers can be confident that when they turn on the tap, the product they receive meets some of the strictest water quality standards in the world.

“I am also pleased to report that the service consumers receive from Scottish Water when they do have an issue with the quality of their water supply has improved in recent years.

“This year I have been struck by the many excellent initiatives within the company to apply science to gain a better understanding of water quality and treatment processes.

“This work will deliver benefits in ensuring processes are more resilient and improve the service received by consumers. I am especially keen to see a reduction in the number of water quality incidents reported to us by Scottish Water.”

For more information, visit www.dwqr.org.uk