Everywhere I travel to across the UK, I find myself constantly buying bottled water and avoiding tap water like the plague! This is not to say that I do not drink tap water, bearing in mind that the UK has one of the safest drinking water systems in the world. However, I do believe that different areas across the country have a very different taste and quality to your local water system. This does not necessarily mean that it is any less safe to drink, but merely does not suit your own personal palette.

Take for example my recent visit to Leicester, I found that I could not drink from the taps there as I felt the taste of the tap water was very different from the tap water system at home. This by far is no indication of Leicester water system being unsafe or unclean. It does prove that the water system are pumped and treated differently from each other. Where the water is sourced from and how it is treated makes a major difference in the taste.

Leicester water is treated with chlorine, like the general water system in the UK. Therefore, its treatment is standard and is safe to drink. Yet something in our minds tells us not to drink tap water in different area codes. Understandably, this is a precaution that one takes when travelling abroad, due to health and hygiene reason.

Living in Essex the water system to me is almost perfect every time, but that is simply because I am adjusted and familiar with the taste and quality. When I compare the water system to Leicester water system, there is a difference in consistency, with Leicester water system being cooler in temperature than Essex water. In the past when I have lived in London, the water system was much lower in quality and warmer in temperature.

Manchester and Liverpool were much cooler to drink and tasted almost the same as the water in Leicester. This is due to the way they are treated and where they source out the water. However, I found that during the summer months in Manchester the water would warm up very quickly and quite unpleasant to drink if one is feeling very hot!

For this reason, many people living in London purchase bottled water or install water filter systems under their sink taps, the latter being more cost efficient. Offices in London provide water cooler units, so staffs are not dehydrated when at work. Instead, they have the option to drink safe clean water without worrying about the tap water system.

For those of you who are water conscious like me, then perhaps the best thing to do is to invest in a water filter jug if you have moved to different area code. You should always avoid drinking tap water when you travel out of the country, as the water system abroad will be treated differently from the system that you are used to, meaning that it will cause you problems with your health.

However, if you are based in the UK then you have very little to worry about concerning the hygiene of the water. It is a matter of personal taste. People may find that in certain areas the water may taste more like iron, or in other places more like chlorine. In such cases, you should invest in a filtration system, this may not necessarily change the taste but it will improve the quality.