The water in the UK hasn’t got the best rep. From the nationwide sewage dumping scandal, to the ‘Brown Flag Awards’, which named the worst beaches for litter and pollution, our waterways and bodies have definitely seen better days.
And yet, it’s just been revealed that the tastiest tap water in Europe comes from right here in the UK, according to a study by insurance company AllClear. The report analysed almost 2,000 tap water-related posts on Reddit to find out where people think the water tastes best.
In Europe, Scotland was discovered to have the clearest tap water, with Redditors commenting on the quality of H2O in the nation’s Highlands and lochs.
Worldwide Scotland was the second-most mentioned place in the world, meaning it was only beaten to the top spot by one location, but it’s not where you’d expect. New York City ranked in first place for the tastiest tap water in the world. The Big Apple’s water comes from the Catskills mountains, and Redditors even attribute the quality of pizza and bagel dough to the city’s great-tasting water.
In the European ranking, Scotland was followed by Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Austria. In the nordic countries tap water is considered to be better quality than bottled, with mainly tourists buying bottled water.
The report said: ‘In Iceland, tap water is so widely consumed that bottled water is labeled in English, as it’s largely tourists who purchase it.’
In the UK, Yorkshire also got a mention in the study for its drinking water, described as ‘crispy’ by one Reddit poster.
Thirsty for more? Read more about the worldwide tap water study here.
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