New research by a property maintainance company found Barnet to have the hardest water in the capital

A new study has revealed that Barnet is the London borough with the hardest water, and therefore the area most at risk of experiencing problems with plumbing fixtures and water leaks.

The research, from water softener experts, Aspect, looked at the water hardness scores of London Boroughs across the UK, categorising them as having soft, moderately hard, hard, or very hard water.

The research revealed that Barnet is the London Borough with the hardest water, with a score of 327, followed by Enfield, with 315.5, and Harrow, with 304.8.

Meanwhile, the London Borough with the softest water was Bexley, with a score of 219.3, followed by Lambeth, with 236, and Camden, with 245.7.

The South East of England is mostly made up of chalk and limestone geology, which contributes to these areas of the country having the hardest water, as it leads to high quantities of calcium and magnesium ions.

To create this data, Aspect used water hardness data from Water Hardness Checker and Watercare for the counties, and Thames Water for the London boroughs. These figures were then ranked, and put into categories based on their score. A score below 100 was deemed soft, between 100 and 200 was moderately hard, between 200 and 250 was hard, and above 250 was very hard.

Of the 32 London Boroughs which were analysed, 9% had hard water, and 91% had very hard water. There were no London boroughs which had either moderately hard or soft water.

Hard water isn’t usually a health hazard, the most significant impact that hard water can have is on your plumbing, central heating, and drainage.

James Hays, Technical Manager of Plumbing, Heating and AC at Aspect, said: “While hard water isn’t usually a risk to your health, it can have a significant effect on plumbing fixtures, causing corrosion, damage and reduced functionality, and increasing the risk of water leaks.

“The vast majority of us live in hard water areas, where the bedrock is made of sedimentary rocks like limestone, chalk, flint and sandstone. The South East of England is mainly made up of chalk and limestone regions and as a result, has the hardest water.”

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