Data from 46 cities across 9 regions. Average: 18.1°fH. Source: Yorkshire Water, Thames Water, United Utilities and other UK water companies (2025).
Data: Yorkshire Water, Thames Water, United Utilities and other UK water companies — 2025. Click a region to explore cities.
England has some of the hardest tap water in Europe. The average hardness across our 46 cities is 18.1°fH, well above the soft-water benchmark of 15°fH. The contrast between north and south is striking: Yorkshire and the North West draw on soft upland reservoirs, while London and the South East rely on hard chalk and limestone aquifers.
In Greater London, Thames Water and Affinity Water supply water averaging 27°fH, among the hardest in England. The East of England is even harder, averaging 32.7°fH. By contrast, cities like Manchester (2.99°fH) and Sheffield (1.92°fH) enjoy naturally very soft water drawn from the Pennine moorlands.
Water quality in England is regulated by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) under the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2018. All companies in our database publish annual zone-level hardness data.