The quality of Scotland’s drinking water has never been higher according to a new report published today.

The Drinking Water Quality Regulator's report into the state of water supplies in 2006 shows that, of the 170,552 tests carried out on samples taken from consumers' taps, 99.66 percent met strict European standards.

More than 99 percent of samples were also clear of coliform bacteria, making these the best microbiology results since water quality regulations were introduced in 1991.

Despite this, the regulator, Colin McLaren, warned that in a few areas the taste and appearance of drinking water is still an issue. He stressed that Scottish Water must do more to ensure water is not only safe but also acceptable to consumers. The report found that the number of consumer complaints about drinking water quality received by Scottish Water was 25,299, 2,746 more than in 2005, with the majority, 56.9 per cent, concerning discolouration.

The number of operational incidents which could have impacted on the quality of water supplied also increased in 2006, with 54 events serious enough to be investigated by the Regulator, compared to 42 in 2005.

McLaren said: “Scotland's water industry continues to make encouraging progress in raising standards of supply.

“However, Scottish Water could and should do more in certain areas to meet consumer expectations and ensure that drinking water tastes and looks good, as well as meeting the regulatory standards.

“I recognise that a lot of work has gone into upgrading supplies across Scotland and look forward to further improvements which, I hope, will go some way to addressing the remaining hotspots.”

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