Bristol Water lead pipe replacement scheme explained

Lead pipes are still common in older Bristol homes. Bristol Water says a large number of properties in its area built before the 1970s have a lead pipe running from the water main into the house. It is now offering to replace some of them for free. This guide explains how the scheme works, who it covers, and what to do if you are not in the area yet.

What the scheme is

The scheme is called LeadFreeBristol. In Bristol Water’s words, it will visit and check whether you have a lead supply pipe, and if it is lead, replace it at no cost to you. Bristol Water describes it as a limited time offer.

The pipe from the main to your house has two parts:

Section	Who owns it
Water main to the stop tap in the pavement	Normally Bristol Water
Pavement stop tap to inside your home	You, the property owner

The part you own is the one homeowners normally have to pay to replace. Bristol Water says replacing pipes on your property can cost upwards of £1,000, which is why the scheme matters. The scheme can cover the external pipe, the internal pipe, or both, depending on the survey.

Who it covers right now

Bristol Water says it is currently working in the BS16 postcode area because it has found high numbers of lead pipes there. BS16 takes in Fishponds and parts of Staple Hill, Downend and Emersons Green. If your home is in a covered street, you should get a flyer when work starts nearby.

Fishponds fits the pattern. Much of it is Victorian and Edwardian terraces off Fishponds Road, many built from Bristol’s grey Pennant sandstone, with interwar homes further out towards Stapleton. Almost all of these were built long before plastic water pipes.

If you live elsewhere in Bristol, you can still register interest. Bristol Water says it will not progress applications outside the current area yet, but it will note your interest and get in touch if the scheme reaches you.

How the process runs

Bristol Water lists these stages:

1. Register your interest online. You are not committed to anything.
2. Someone contacts you within a month to book a survey.
3. The surveyor finds your supply pipe and stop tap, checks whether you share a supply with neighbours, and confirms whether the pipe is lead.
4. If it is lead, they explain how the new pipe will go in and book a date.
5. You sign a contract and an electrical pre assessment letter.
6. On the day, the team sets up signs and barriers, lays the new pipe, reconnects you and tests it.
7. If they dig up a drive or path, they discuss putting it back as it was.

The electrical report you need

This catches people out. Before the work date, Bristol Water asks for one of these, dated within the last 10 years:

• an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)
• a Domestic Visual Condition Report (DVCR)
• an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC)

Bristol Water does not spell out the reason, but the usual one is safety. In older homes the electrical earth was often clamped to the metal water pipe. When a lead pipe is swapped for plastic, that earth path can be lost. The report shows the electrics are safe before the pipe changes. If you do not have one, book an electrician early, as this can be the slowest part.

When you might be turned down

Bristol Water’s terms say the work may not go ahead if:

• you are on a joint or shared supply with neighbours
• replacing the internal pipe would be too disruptive inside the home
• digging would risk a retaining wall, which is common on Bristol’s sloping streets
• digging would risk established or protected trees
• your drive is imprinted concrete or newly laid

The shared supply rule affects a lot of Victorian terraces. Many were built with one lead pipe feeding two or more houses. If that is you, a plumber can quote for a separate supply to each house. Neighbours often split the cost.

If the scheme does not reach you

You still have options.

• Have the pipe checked. Our guide on how to tell if you have lead pipes shows the signs at your stop tap.
• Run the cold kitchen tap for a short while first thing in the morning before drinking. The Drinking Water Inspectorate explains why lead matters most for pregnant women and young children.
• Replace it privately. A plumber can lay a new plastic supply from the boundary, often by pulling it through the line of the old pipe to save digging.
• Ask Bristol Water whether it will renew its own section at the same time, so you are not left with lead on the street side.

How a plumber helps

Even with the scheme, there is often plumbing work inside. Some homes have lead pipe running under the floor to the kitchen, or old lead branches to an outside tap. A plumber can replace those, fit a new inside stop tap in an easy place, and check the house still has a proper electrical earth once the electrician has signed off.

Our leak detection page covers supply pipe work in more detail. A new supply pipe also tends to cure the low pressure many older Bristol homes live with.