Water regulations

All these checks and technical requirements are to make sure your drinking water is protected from contamination before it is used. Water is a natural product and can be affected by the materials and plumbing fittings it passes through.

The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 exist and describe how plumbing should be installed and maintained to protect water quality. This is national legislation enforced by the water company providing the water supply to the premises.

It applies to all connections to the mains water supply including new installations to be connected. This is why we ask for details about your installation to check it will meet the regulations. Their purpose is to prevent the contamination, wastage, misuse, undue consumption and erroneous measurement of drinking water. We
proactively enforce these regulations across our supply region. It is the responsibility of owners, occupiers and installers to ensure the plumbing complies with these regulations. Installations that do not meet these regulations will not be permitted connection to the mains water network.

There is a directory of water industry approved plumbing contractors whose work is certified as meeting the regulations. These can be found by visiting www.watersafe.org.uk.  Their work is checked by the water industry to meet the water fittings regulations, and any issues identified will be the plumber’s responsibility to fix.

If you use a confirmed approved plumber, schematic plans will not be required for new domestic premises. However, schematics will still be required for any non-household premises (eg, industrial, commercial, agricultural, etc.)

Some installations must be inspected to check they meet the regulations before we can authorise a connection to our drinking water mains. This will be due to the presence of fittings or installations at higher risk of contaminating the drinking water supply. Make sure you arrange a visit or discussion with the team early to not delay your connection date. Our contact details are below. You do not have to pay for this advice and is part of our legal duty as a water company.

Please note:

We do not advise on plumbing design, we can only advise on compliance with the regulations.

To arrange our water regulations, visit or discussion please email the team directly at:

water.regulations@wessexwater.co.uk

or call:

01202 643111

(Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm)