§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the level of aluminium in water supplies taken at regular intervals by each of the local authorities in Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Iancashire and Merseyside; and how often the samples taken are in excess of the recommended safety levels.
§ Mr. MoynihanThe available information is listed:
It is not the practice of many local authorities to carry out extensive monitoring of public water supplies. Water undertakers monitor their water supplies regularly.
Supplies taken by the North West water authority in Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Iancashire and Merseyside have shown that the aluminium standard of the EC drinking water directive is regularly exceeded in parts of the following local authority areas:
- Sefton (Southport).
- Stockport (excluding Reddish, Heaton Mersey).
- Bolton (excluding Westhoughton, Lostock, Heaton Moor).
- Tameside (Ashton, Stalybridge, Dukinfield, Mossley) Oldham (excluding Royton and Chadderton).
- Lancaster (Lancaster City and parishes of Slyne with Hest and Bolton-le-Sands).
The levels of aluminium detected in these supplies have not been judged to constitute a health risk.