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Tea-coloured, brown or black water, or dark brown and black bits in your water, is usually caused by iron and manganese deposits.

Normally these deposits settle in the pipes and won’t affect you.

However, sometimes they get disturbed and get mixed into the water, which leads to the discolouration.

This disturbance is often due to a sudden change in direction or flow rate caused by a burst or repair work in the area.

This kind of discolouration doesn’t normally last very long and can be easily cleared by running a cold tap on a gentle flow for a few minutes.

Make sure you run the tap very gently. The water coming out of the tap shouldn't be wider than a pencil. If the flow is more powerful it could actually make the problem worse by stirring up more sediment.

If you’re on a water meter, we can credit your bill with an amount to compensate you for the water you’ve used to flush the system.