Grange PlumbingDo you have a lead supply pipe?
Lead supply pipes were standard in UK homes until the 1970s, when copper and then MDPE plastic took over. If your home was built before 1970 and the supply pipe has never been replaced, there's a good chance at least part of it is lead. Look at the pipe where it enters your house from the floor (usually in a cupboard near the front of the house, beside the internal stopcock). Lead is dull grey, soft enough to mark with a coin, and the joint with the stopcock will often be a bulbous lead-soldered fitting.
Is lead in drinking water actually a problem?
Yes — but the size of the risk depends on how long water sits in the pipe. The UK legal limit is 10 micrograms per litre. Water that has stood in a lead pipe overnight can exceed this. The risk is highest for babies, young children and pregnant women, where even low-level lead exposure can affect brain development. For other adults the risk is smaller but not zero. The simple short-term mitigation is to run the kitchen tap for 1–2 minutes first thing in the morning before drinking — but the proper fix is to replace the pipe.
Who is responsible for replacing it?
The pipe is split at your boundary. The water company owns the section from the main in the road to the boundary (the communication pipe). You own the section from the boundary into the house (the supply pipe). If both sections are lead, you need to coordinate — most water companies will replace their side at the same time as yours, often free of charge, if you give them notice.
Water company grants and free replacements
Several UK water companies run lead replacement schemes. SES Water, Southern Water, Thames Water, Affinity Water and others will all typically replace their side (the communication pipe) free of charge if you're replacing yours. Some also offer grants or subsidised work on the homeowner side, especially where babies or young children live in the property. It's always worth calling your supplier before paying — quote 'lead supply pipe replacement' and ask what they offer.
What does replacement cost?
Replacing a domestic lead supply pipe with new MDPE typically costs £1,500–£3,500 all-in, depending on length, ground conditions and access. The pipe itself is cheap — the cost is the labour and groundwork. Open-cut trenching is the most expensive option once you add reinstating the lawn, paving or tarmac on top. Moling — the trenchless method — is usually 30–50% cheaper and completed in a single day with no surface damage.
Why moling is the standard fix for lead pipes
Moling fires a pneumatic mole horizontally underground between two small pits — one at the meter, one inside the property — and pulls new 25mm MDPE pipe behind it. The old lead pipe is abandoned in place (which is legal and safe). Your block paving, lawn, flowerbeds and front path all stay exactly as they were. There's no trench to dig, no spoil to remove, no reinstatement bill.
The order of work
1) Confirm you have lead and ask your water company about their free or subsidised scheme. 2) Get a fixed quote from a moling specialist for your side. 3) Coordinate the dates so both sides are done together. 4) Mole the new MDPE pipe in, connect at both ends, pressure-test, and you're done — usually in a single day.
How we can help
We replace lead supply pipes across Sussex and Surrey every week and will happily liaise with your water company. Free site visit, fixed written quote, no call-out fees. Call or WhatsApp 07894 956041.
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