Business

I am a non-domestic, business or industrial consumer of drinking water

Since 2008, the non-household market for drinking water has been open to competition. Companies are able to set up as “Licensed Providers” to supply water they have purchased wholesale from Scottish Water to businesses and other non-domestic consumers in Scotland. The market is administered by the Central Marketing Agency, a company set up to keep a record of which businesses are served by which Licensed Providers. Initially, all non-domestic customers of Scottish Water have been transferred to Business Stream, a wholly owned but separately operated subsidiary of Scottish Water. As other Licensed Providers enter the market, non-domestic consumers will be free to choose other suppliers.

Scottish Water undertakes about 350,000 tests every year on samples of water taken at water treatment works, storage points and from consumers’ taps to verify that the water quality meets the standards.

DWQR checks the results of these tests and makes sure that any failures are thoroughly investigated. This section of the website allows you to see how many of these tests met the required standard at a national level and in your local water supply. It contains answers to many of the questions that consumers have about their drinking water, including what they can do if they experience a problem, and describes how to contact DWQR and how we can help.

Normally, non-domestic consumers should contact their Licensed Provider in the first instance to discuss any concerns or issues they may have with the quality of their supply. However, where the issue is an emergency or potentially concerns public health, the consumer may contact Scottish Water directly. DWQR will treat all consumers equally, regardless of whether they are business or domestic consumers, however our primary purpose is to ensure that drinking water complies with the regulatory standards and we cannot become involved in contractual disputes about water quality.

Want to know more about the Scottish water industry and how your water charges are set? Visit our Useful Links page.