Water pollution

Bathing waters

We are responsible for ensuring the quality of all of Trafford's swimming pools, leisure centres and private clubs.

We also undertake regular sampling of the water at Sale Water Park on a monthly basis. In addition, sampling is carried out on a reactive basis in response to flood warnings issued by the Environment Agency.

Mains Water Supply

All of Trafford's drinking water is supplied direct from the mains by United Utilities and any problems with mains water should be reported in the first instance to them. Their customer service number is 08457 462200.

If you are unhappy with the service that you receive from United Utilities you should ask for details of their complaints procedure.  

If you are still unhappy with the response from United Utilities, you may wish to contact the industry regulators OFWAT (Office of Water Suppliers) or Water Voice who may take your complaint forward.

Our Public Protection Team may be able to take up your complaint with United Utilities but will only investigate cases where there is a risk to public health.

Generally, we will only deal with drinking water from the rising main cold kitchen tap and not with complaints about supplies elsewhere in the property, for example bathroom taps and storage tanks.

Lead pipes and lead in mains water

Lead pipes within your property or property boundary should be changed to copper or plastic. Pipes outside your property boundary are the responsibility of United Utilities.

In the meantime, if you do have lead pipes, it may be worth considering the following:

  • Do not drink water that has been standing in the pipes for long periods (for example where the property has been empty for several days, overnight or considerable part of a day).
  • Draw off enough water to empty all water standing in the pipes (the water can be used for non drinking and non cooking purposes such as gardening).
  • The water from the tap should then be suitable for normal use.

For further information about lead in drinking water, you can obtain information from the Drinking Water Inspectorate.

Private Water Supplies

The Private Water Supply Regulations 2009 require the council to risk assess all private water supplies and private water distribution networks in Trafford to ensure there is no potential for significant risk to public health. The regulations tells us what the standards of the water should be and how often we have to test the water depending upon its use.

The Private Water Supply Regulations 2009 allow the council to charge for work relating to sampling and risk assessment of private water supplies and private distribution networks.