Petrol or diesel tastes and smells

The chemicals that can cause these tastes and smells can be harmful to your health.

If you notice any fuel-like tastes or smells in your water you should contact us immediately by calling 0800 783 4444.

Tastes and smells like this can be caused when petrol, diesel or other solvents have been spilt. These chemicals can travel through plastic water pipes and enter your water supply.

You won’t always notice the taste or smell instantly after a spill. It can take a while for the chemicals to contaminate the water supply, sometimes several days, weeks or months depending on the location of the spill and how close it is to your water pipes.

If land is contaminated due to a chemical spill, any plastic water pipes underground in that area will need to be replaced to pipework in a protective coating. We will then check if the pipes connecting your home to the network also need replacing.

The chemicals that can cause these tastes and smells can be harmful to your health. If you notice any fuel-like tastes or smells in your water you should contact us immediately by calling 0800 783 4444.

You should contact the environmental health team at your local council if you discover or know of any chemical spills.

Why your water may taste or smell unusual and what you can do: