WaterHard.uk

Water Hardness by UK County

Compare water hardness across 49 UK counties, ranked by average hardness.

Suffolk

East Of England
352 ppm
33 postcodes Very Hard

Lincolnshire

East Midlands
343 ppm
13 postcodes Very Hard

Cambridgeshire

East Of England
322 ppm
51 postcodes Very Hard

Essex

East Of England
317 ppm
58 postcodes Very Hard

Norfolk

East Of England
310 ppm
35 postcodes Very Hard

Bedfordshire

East Of England
309 ppm
7 postcodes Very Hard

Surrey

South East
305 ppm
58 postcodes Very Hard

Oxfordshire

South East
304 ppm
26 postcodes Very Hard

Hertfordshire

South East
303 ppm
53 postcodes Very Hard

Buckinghamshire

South East
301 ppm
26 postcodes Very Hard

Berkshire

South East
291 ppm
40 postcodes Hard

Greater London

London
286 ppm
330 postcodes Hard

Northamptonshire

East Midlands
278 ppm
19 postcodes Hard

East Sussex

South East
271 ppm
30 postcodes Hard

Shropshire

West Midlands
249 ppm
13 postcodes Hard

Kent

South East
246 ppm
81 postcodes Hard

Hampshire

South East
244 ppm
57 postcodes Hard

Nottinghamshire

East Midlands
243 ppm
30 postcodes Hard

Bristol

South West
238 ppm
37 postcodes Hard

East Yorkshire

Yorkshire
237 ppm
20 postcodes Hard

Gloucestershire

South West
233 ppm
27 postcodes Hard

Dorset

South West
225 ppm
37 postcodes Hard

Leicestershire

East Midlands
224 ppm
21 postcodes Hard

Staffordshire

West Midlands
222 ppm
21 postcodes Hard

West Midlands

West Midlands
222 ppm
145 postcodes Hard

North Yorkshire

Yorkshire
215 ppm
34 postcodes Hard

West Yorkshire

Yorkshire
214 ppm
86 postcodes Hard

South Yorkshire

Yorkshire
211 ppm
77 postcodes Hard

Wiltshire

South West
211 ppm
29 postcodes Hard

Worcestershire

West Midlands
207 ppm
15 postcodes Hard

Cumbria

North West
205 ppm
28 postcodes Hard

Derbyshire

East Midlands
199 ppm
23 postcodes Hard

Somerset

South West
139 ppm
43 postcodes Moderately Hard

Powys

Wales
113 ppm
8 postcodes Slightly Hard

Tyne And Wear

North East
110 ppm
67 postcodes Slightly Hard

County Durham

North East
107 ppm
26 postcodes Slightly Hard

Cornwall

South West
91 ppm
23 postcodes Slightly Hard

Lancashire

North West
87 ppm
55 postcodes Slightly Hard

Devon

South West
86 ppm
82 postcodes Slightly Hard

Gwent

Wales
83 ppm
18 postcodes Slightly Hard

Greater Manchester

North West
77 ppm
76 postcodes Slightly Hard

Teesside

North East
75 ppm
29 postcodes Slightly Hard

Merseyside

North West
73 ppm
40 postcodes Slightly Hard

West Wales

Wales
72 ppm
51 postcodes Slightly Hard

Cheshire

North West
71 ppm
71 postcodes Slightly Hard

Cardiff

Wales
68 ppm
36 postcodes Slightly Hard

North Wales

Wales
66 ppm
67 postcodes Slightly Hard

Herefordshire

West Midlands
57 ppm
9 postcodes Soft

Mid Wales

Wales
43 ppm
25 postcodes Soft

How Water Hardness Varies by County

Water hardness varies significantly between UK counties due to differences in local geology. Counties in the South East sitting on chalk and limestone tend to have the hardest water, while counties in Scotland, Wales, and the North West draw from softer granite and peat sources.

Learn more about what causes water hardness or check your specific postcode.