Lead in drinking water
In Scotland, lead does not occur naturally in significant concentrations in our water supplies. The problem arises when drinking water comes into contact with lead supply pipes, lead tanks, lead solder joints on copper pipes, or inferior quality brass fittings and taps, particularly for longer periods (e.g. overnight/weekends/holidays). This can result in high lead levels in the drinking water supply.
You should always drink water from the cold water tap in the kitchen as this is almost certainly connected to the cold water mains supply. Do not use water from the hot tap for drinking or cooking, do not use water from the hot tap for making baby formula.
If you suspect you have lead pipes, Fife Council encourage you to take further action to establish whether lead is present and to take steps to replace them. In the short term, you should implement some precautionary measures to protect your health such as letting the cold tap run for a few minutes before you use it, especially if you’ve been away for a while. If you have a concern about the level of lead in your cold water supply, you can contact us (details below) to request a test for your water supply.
Information on the health effects of exposure to lead can be found on the NHS Inform website.
Private water supplies
If you have a private water supply that has run dry and you require an emergency supply of bottled drinking water, please contact us for advice and assistance by emailing privatehousing@fife.gov.uk. If you have a problem out of hours call 03451 550099 (this phoneline is only available 5pm-8am Mon-Fri and all day Saturday and Sunday)
Further information can be found here:
Users of private water supplies can follow these links for lots of helpful information:
- Private Water Supplies
- Private Water Supplies: Rights and Responsibilities
- Apply for a Private Water Supply Grant
- Maintaining your Private Water Supply
- Making sure your Private Water Supply is safe to drink
- Risk Assessing your Private Water Supply
- Treating your Private Water Supply
- Testing your Private Water Supply
- Blue Green Algae
Useful Links
| Contact: | Building Standards & Public Safety | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Email: | bss.info@fife.gov.uk | ||