How your water looks is important to you, and to us.

If your water isn't clear, read our advice to find out what to do next, or watch our helpful video below.

Black, orange or brown water

The most common cause of discoloured, dark water is a disturbance in the water pipes. Repair works or burst mains can cause harmless deposits to come loose inside the pipework.

What do I do if I have black, orange or brown water?

You can check your local area to find out if there are any works going on that could have caused the discolouration.

Discoloured water will normally clear if you run the cold tap in your kitchen. You should run your tap for up to 40 minutes or until clear. Don't use your water-reliant appliances, or your hot water supply, until your cold water runs clear.

Cloudy, white water

Drinking water can sometimes appear ‘milky’ or ‘cloudy’ when first drawn from the tap. This is usually caused when the water becomes aerated and disappears after a short time.

What do I do if I have cloudy water?

Leave your water to stand for a minute or two, or put it in the fridge, and the bubbles should clear. Cloudy water caused by air bubbles is safe to drink and not harmful to health.

Pink, blue or green water

Strange colours like pink, green or blue water can be caused by a number of things such as:

copper pipes, as they turn green over time, which can make your water turn the same colour, or
misconnections, which is when pipework is connected to the wrong part of the system.