Smelly kettle syndrome!

Experts baffled by the mystery pong that is blighting brew-ups for Britain’s tea-lovers

FIRST there was the Watergate scandal in the US – now Hot Watergate is getting Britons all steamed up about the taste of their tea.

Families across the UK say a foul smell and undrinkable water are coming from their kettles.

At first, the problem appeared to be confined to plastic Russell Hobbs kettles, but it now seems many other brands could be involved.

The issue came to light when members of the consumer group Which? said a strange, chemical pong was coming from their £25 Russell Hobbs Ebony kettles. Which? said: ‘Members complained to us that water they heated had a “revolting” plastic flavour that made it “undrinkable”.

‘One told us they tried re-boiling and rinsing it several times, but the ‘plastic flavour’ wouldn’t go away.’

Another told it: ‘It produces the most foul- tasting water which renders tea, coffee etc undrinkable.’

One wrote to say: ‘I have never quite been able to get rid of the taste. I’ve tried boiling bicarbonate of soda and leaving it overnight and using lemon juice.

‘This made a reasonable difference but it doesn’t seem to have been a lasting fix and that taste is still discernable.’

The complaints have been borne out by Which? tests, although it cannot explain why. A spokesman said: ‘We had a look at it in our lab and, sure enough, there really is a problem with how the water tastes and smells when boiled.

‘Our white-coated wizards tested it for different chemicals but could not come up with an answer. We want people to help us solve the mystery of smelly kettle water.’

After highlighting the issue, the owners of kettles made by Phillips, Breville, De’Longhi and Morphy Richards reported that they too had the problem, which has also been experienced by Mail readers.

One said: ‘I purchased a black plastic kettle from Russell Hobbs. From the day I used it our tea tasted odd and smelt like swimming baths. My husband was wondering if I was trying to poison his tea.

‘I rang the water board convinced it was their fault. They were most helpful. The water was tested and tea made without using the kettle. Of course it was the kettle. I now have a metal one – no problem.’

One theory is that the smell is created by lubricants used to free plastic parts from their moulds on the production line. Russell Hobbs said safety was a priority, and it was looking at the Which? test results.