Lead Exposure and Children’s Neurodevelopment: What the Evidence Shows
Lead exposure in children rarely announces itself. There is usually no illness to observe, no…
At London & Surrey Water Services, we understand the importance of safe, clean drinking water in your home or business across Surrey.
If you are a homeowner, landlord or tenant in Mole Valley with a property built before the 1970s, there is a strong likelihood that lead pipes may still form part of the plumbing system. With growing awareness and tightening standards around lead in drinking water, now is the right time to take proactive action.
From your initial enquiry, we provide clear advice on lead pipe replacement in Mole Valley, guiding you from initial survey through to completion.
As approved plumbers, we specialise in lead pipe replacement in Mole Valley and full lead pipe replacement, including customer-side water main replacement and water supply pipe repairs where required. Our pipe replacement work complies with current water regulations and industry best practice. We ensure that your water supply is Lead-Free, safeguarding the health and well-being of you and your family.
Our team is fully qualified, highly skilled, and brings extensive experience to every lead pipe replacement project across Mole Valley, with almost four decades of experience handling both straightforward and complex installations. We work closely with the SES Water and South East Water Lead Pipe Replacement Schemes to ensure that following completion of any lead pipework replacement the communication pipe from the water main to your property boundary is replaced by your water company at no cost to you.
Lead is a potent neurotoxin, meaning it directly affects the nervous system. It is especially harmful to children and pregnant women, causing irreversible damage even at very low exposure levels.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has made it clear: there is no safe level of lead exposure. Even trace amounts can result in significant and long-lasting health issues, including:
Regulations concerning lead levels in drinking water are becoming stricter. The lead concentration threshold in England and Wales is 10 micrograms per litre, but the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has signalled that this limit will likely be reduced to 5 micrograms per litre or lower, in line with the European Drinking Water Directive.
Water companies are now working towards a much stricter target, driving expanded lead-pipe replacement programmes and emphasising that any lead exposure should be reduced as far as reasonably practicable.
We are always happy to provide advice and a free estimate without obligation
Take advantage of our limited-time offer and save 10% on all lead pipe replacement works. This discount applies to full supply pipe replacements carried out by our approved moling contractors.
Not sure whether your property has lead pipes or elevated lead levels in your water? We offer a free lead content test to help you assess your risk before committing to replacement works.
Request a free assessment and we’ll identify your pipework and advise on the next steps.
Surrey’s water supply network includes some of the oldest pipework in England, much of it laid during the rapid suburban expansion of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. Lead was the material of choice for service connections until it was banned for new installations in 1970, leaving a significant proportion of Mole Valley properties still supplied through legacy lead service pipes.
Mole Valley’s lead pipe problem reflects the Victorian and Edwardian residential expansion of its two principal towns, Dorking and Leatherhead. Named after the River Mole, which flows through the district from Gatwick in the south to the Thames at East Molesey, Mole Valley sits at the foot of the North Downs in the heart of Surrey.
The arrival of the railway in the 1840s drove residential expansion in both Dorking and Leatherhead, with Victorian and Edwardian terraced housing built to house London commuters using lead service connections as standard. A significant portion of those connections remain in the ground today.
SES Water, which supplies the majority of Mole Valley, reported approximately 100,000 lead communication pipes across its service area as of 2024. South East Water supplies parts of the western borough.
Across Surrey, more than 285,000 homes, over half of the county’s entire housing stock, were built before 1970, when lead pipework was still widely used. In Mole Valley, an estimated 58.2% of homes (approximately 22,510 properties) were built before 1970, placing the borough among a higher-priority area for legacy lead pipe risk across the county.
Where original lead pipework remains, it can still release lead into drinking water, particularly after water has stood in the pipe for several hours. While modern corrosion-control treatment substantially reduces lead release, the only permanent solution is to remove lead pipework from the drinking water supply altogether. SES Water and South East Water recognise that lead in drinking water originates from legacy lead pipes rather than water treatment works, and that complete replacement is the long-term solution to eliminating the risk.
Water companies serving Surrey, including Thames Water, SES Water, Affinity Water and South East Water, operate lead pipe replacement schemes that cover the communication pipe from the water main to your property boundary. If you replace the supply pipe on your side of the boundary, your water company will replace their section at no cost to you.
Customer Responsibility: You are responsible for the supply pipe running from the outside stop valve to the internal stop tap inside your property, including any internal plumbing.
Thames Water’s Responsibility: Thames Water maintains the communication pipe, which connects the water main to your outside stop tap.
Property owners are responsible for replacing the pipes from the boundary to their property at their own cost. This is where our services as approved plumbers come in.
Our team will inspect your existing water supply to identify any lead pipework and determine the most direct, least disruptive, and cost-effective route for installing your new supply pipe. This includes assessing internal pipes, ground conditions, and the position of underground utilities. This may include pipe tracing or a utility survey, where required. During this visit, we will also confirm your eligibility for the Thames Water, Affinity Water, or SES Water Lead Pipe Replacement Scheme and explain the process in full.
Once we have completed the survey, we will help you submit the online application required by your water company's Lead Pipe Replacement Scheme. This ensures your water supplier can review the proposal to replace their section of the lead pipe (the communication pipe).
Once your application has been submitted, we will schedule a date to carry out the supply pipe replacement. Using specialist impact-moling equipment, we install new pipes with trenchless methods and trenchless technology to minimise disruption and allow minimal digging, even in challenging ground conditions. Compared to traditional methods, this approach reduces impact on underground utilities and the surrounding area. All excavations are backfilled and reinstated to their original condition.
Upon completion of the supply pipe replacement, we will issue a taps certification and a certificate of work completed, confirming that your newly installed water supply pipe complies with current water supply regulations.
Once your certificate has been reviewed, an engineer from your water supplier will attend to inspect the communication pipe. If their pipe is made of lead, it will be marked for replacement and a task will be raised for their planning team to arrange permits, traffic management, and scheduling.
When permits and traffic management have been approved, your water supplier will replace the communication pipe. Most replacements are completed within 6–8 weeks, although timings may vary depending on location, access requirements, and local authority approvals.
After your water supplier completes the replacement of their section of pipe, we return to make the final connection between your new supply pipe and your internal plumbing. We ensure everything is working correctly and that your property receives a clean, reliable, lead-free water supply with minimal interruption.
We adopt a best practice approach to the work we carry out and ensure compliance with the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999
As water regulations approved plumbers and supply pipe contractors with over two decades of experience in lead pipe replacement and customer-side supply work.
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All installations meet the current Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, and every job includes a Certificate of Works Completed for your water supplier.
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We provide a 15-year guarantee on all full supply pipe replacements, giving you long-term protection and complete confidence in the quality of our workmanship.
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We can replace lead supply pipes using impact moling, a trenchless method that allows new pipework to be installed underground with minimal excavation and disruption.
Watch our short video to see how the process works.
We offer a full range of internal plumbing and supply pipe services including new installations, repair and replacement
Trusted by homeowners across London for reliable, professional lead pipe replacement, leak detection and repair and internal plumbing services.
We engaged with Alan to have our water main and internal piping replaced as they were made of lead. Alan came and gave us a comprehensive explanation of the work required and how to engage with Thames Water under their lead replacement scheme. He was the only person we could find that was up to handling both external moling and the internal works. Alan spent 2 days in our home completing the work, was polite and extremely unfazed by complications. He managed to reroute the piping under our tiled floor without having to break into it at all. The other reviews are very accurate and I couldn't recommend him highly enough!
After six months of wrangling with Thames Water, an insurance company, a motley collection of leak inspectors, pipe contractors and two plumbers, we still had a mains water pipe unrepaired and leaking under our drive. Alan came over, diagnosed a solution in minutes, and returned within a week to singlehandedly repair everything with care and without fuss. He really knows his stuff, and is wholly professional in his work. If only we had called him six months earlier. His company thoroughly deserves the five stars.
I had a leak and my water had shut down completely but the leak was not visible. The insurance company told me I needed to get someone in to do track and trace which I did and they totally scammed me. I had no water for 3 days and then I found Alan and he came round promptly, located the leak without all this track and trace equipment, took the floorboards up and fixed the leak, water back working — all in under an hour and at such a very reasonable cost. I cannot rate him enough and would highly recommend him.
Alan (aka London and Surrey Water Services Ltd) turned up and made two access points at the water meter and garage. Then with the precision of NASA he used a tunnelling mole and came up bang centre of his target. This was amazing to watch — a distance of over 20 feet with minimal disruption. My new water supply was in, effectively, efficiently and at very reasonable cost since he didn't have to dig up all my drive to find the leak at great expense. No hesitation in recommending Alan. Clive Cox CEng (retired) MEng.
Alan did a fantastic job for us investigating and resolving poor water flow issues to our flat. Other Thames Water approved plumbers were proposing major replumbing with quotes as high as £20k and even charged to quote. Alan proposed replacing the pipework from the road with wider gauge pipe as the first step and the problem was solved for barely a twentieth of that cost. He's clearly an expert at solving domestic plumbing problems and stood out from every other firm we spoke to. Can't recommend enough!
I contacted Alan following a letter from Thames Water advising of a water leak at my property. Having popped over to determine the likely cause, Alan sent through an itemised quote and patiently answered my additional questions. He and Pierce carried out the work in a thoroughly professional and minimally intrusive manner by moling a new pipe under my driveway and installing a new internal stop valve. London and Surrey Water Services combine subject matter expertise, assuredness, clarity, reliability, responsiveness and honesty. They made a stressful incident so much easier to deal with.
We contacted Alan to detect a leak because of which our water bills had been through the roof for several months. He was extremely professional, answered my questions patiently, detected the leak with no interruption to our day and above all, coordinated with Thames Water to repair the leak. He was very prompt in replying to any messages or questions I sent him and voluntarily sent me all the information I needed to claim a leak allowance from Thames Water. One of the best customer service experiences I have had in a long time!
After a disappointing experience with another plumber whose work failed to meet the water company standards, we contacted Alan and we're so glad we did! Alan came to the rescue, immediately identified the substandard installation, and redid the entire lead pipe replacement to a professional standard. He was highly efficient, knowledgeable, and genuinely trustworthy. He explained everything clearly and carried out the work with great care and precision. The difference in quality was obvious. Thanks to Alan, everything passed inspection with no issues, and we finally have peace of mind. Highly recommended!
I first found Alan McBride of London and Surrey Water Services in 2016 after I had no water for weeks and Thames refused to do anything about it. He was unbelievable in his knowledge, his support, going over and above by advocating for me with Thames and getting the problem fixed. 7 years later I called on Alan again and it is inspiring to watch how thorough he is and how his mind works. He worked it out and the fix was simple. He really is quite a plumbing and water specialist genius!
A calm, pleasant and reassuring presence, Alan turned up early for his appointment and made replacing a leaking supply pipe under our Victorian house in West London seem like a simple task, causing the minimum of disruption. He is highly knowledgeable, efficient and professional, and even reduced his already-reasonable invoice because part of his quotation did not need to be done. Honest, conscientious and down-to-earth, Alan is a pleasure to deal with.
I found Alan's details on the Thames Water WaterSafe Approved Plumbers list and chose to contact him because of the amazing reviews he has received on Google. Alan was able to successfully install an internal water stopcock into a Victorian terrace house with very complex plumbing. Alan was very easy to deal with, very hard-working and explained exactly what he was doing. Alan's prices are also very reasonable. I will definitely contact Alan and London and Surrey Water Services for any future plumbing requirements I have. Very highly recommend.
Alan has done a fantastic job replacing our lead mains pipe following an internal water leak. He is helpful, professional and clear providing sensible advice including utilising his great experience and knowledge of working with Thames Water. He is quick to respond to any queries and he works diligently and neatly. To do the final connection once Thames Water were ready, Alan came back to complete the job with no fuss. Really strongly recommend Alan and really pleased we chose him.
Alan was superb from start to finish. From arriving to prepare a quote, doing the work, tidying up and making good and coming back to finish once Thames Water had completed their part of the lead pipe replacement. He helped with the various administration parts of the lead pipe replacement scheme by Thames Water which saved a lot of confusion, providing advice and explanation every step of the way. I would not hesitate to recommend Alan for any other similar work.
Called Alan to investigate a leak at the end of the driveway. He replaced the supply pipe into the house without disturbing the driveway which was a bonus. He was very professional, knowledgeable, personable and helped us submit for the lead pipe replacement scheme with the water company. Regularly checked in with us as the works between himself and water company were coordinated. Highly recommend Alan.
Our focus is on delivering cost-effective, safe, and reliable solutions for the replacement of lead water supply pipes.
Practical guidance on lead pipework, supply pipes, and replacement across Wandsworth
Check the pipe entering your property near the internal stop tap, usually under the kitchen sink or where the supply first enters the building. Lead pipe is dull grey, feels soft to the touch, and often has a swollen, bulbous joint where sections meet. A gentle scratch with a coin reveals shiny silver metal underneath, unlike copper (which scratches to reveal a copper-orange colour) or plastic (which won’t scratch or dent).
Properties built before 1970 are considerably more likely to have lead pipework, as lead was banned for new water connections that year, but property age alone doesn’t confirm what’s in the ground. A water sample can detect lead in your water, but won’t necessarily tell you which section of pipe is the source. If you’re unsure, we can carry out a site assessment to identify the pipe material along its full run.
Responsibility splits at the outside stop valve, usually located near your property boundary. From the water main to that valve, the water company owns and maintains the communication pipe.
From the outside stop valve into your property, including all internal plumbing, the supply pipe is your responsibility as the homeowner or landlord. This split applies regardless of whether the pipe is made of lead, copper or plastic. Where a private supply pipe is shared between two or more properties, each property is jointly responsible for its section.
There is no safe level of lead exposure, and the current legal standard for drinking water in England and Wales is 10 micrograms per litre. Children and pregnant women are most vulnerable, as lead exposure in early life can affect neurological development, and prolonged adult exposure has been linked to cardiovascular and kidney effects.
If you have lead pipework, running the cold kitchen tap for a short period before drinking or cooking, particularly first thing in the morning or after the property has been empty, reduces exposure in the short term. This isn’t a substitute for replacement, but it’s a sensible precaution while replacement is arranged.
SES Water and South East Water both operate in Mole Valley. SES Water’s scheme covers all existing household properties, including those on shared supplies, and it will normally replace its communication pipe when you replace your private lead pipe, with cost-sharing only where the route is unusually difficult.
South East Water’s public offer centres more on testing and water-quality advice, with a free sample available if you’re concerned, alongside a larger background programme targeting proactively identified properties. We’ll confirm which company supplies your property and what scheme applies before any work begins.
Costs vary significantly depending on the length of pipe being replaced, ground conditions, access, and whether the route allows moling (a trenchless technique) rather than open excavation. A short section from the boundary to the property typically costs less than a full run under a driveway or through a basement.
Complex access, such as replacing pipe beneath paving, patios or narrow frontages, adds to both cost and time. We provide a free, no-obligation site assessment and quote so you know the actual cost for your property before committing to any work.
Straightforward replacements using moling can often be completed in a single day. Longer runs, difficult access, or properties requiring open excavation typically take longer, sometimes several days including reinstatement of driveways or paving.
Once your private-side replacement is complete and inspected or certified, your water company then arranges replacement of their communication pipe section, which is a separate piece of work with its own timescale.
Replacing an existing private lead pipe is not automatically compulsory by law. However, drinking water must meet the legal lead standard, and any new or replacement plumbing work must comply with the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999.
Where a water company’s communication pipe is found to be contributing lead to a property’s supply, the company has a legal duty to replace it. Landlords also have separate duties under housing safety legislation to keep rented properties free from hazards that could seriously harm occupants, which can include lead pipework depending on the circumstances.
A WaterSafe-approved plumber is qualified to work on internal plumbing within your property, from the internal stop tap through to your taps and fittings. A Water Supply Pipe Installer, accredited under schemes such as WIAPS, specialises specifically in the underground private supply pipe between the outside stop valve and the internal stop tap.
Both accreditations matter for lead pipe replacement, since the work typically spans both zones. Using accredited contractors throughout also means your water company can accept a completion certificate in place of requiring their own inspection of the buried pipework, which can speed up the process.
Older properties, particularly Victorian and Edwardian terraced housing and converted buildings, are more likely to share a single private supply pipe between two or more properties. Each property remains responsible for its section.
Replacing a shared lead pipe usually requires agreement between all parties served by it, since the work affects everyone’s water supply during the process. We can assess whether separation into individual supplies is practical for your property, or whether shared replacement is the more straightforward route.
Rented properties must be safe, healthy and free from conditions capable of causing serious harm to tenants under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, and lead exposure from old water pipes is recognised as a housing hazard under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.
This doesn’t mean every rented property with a lead pipe is automatically unlawful, but where a genuine risk is identified and not addressed, tenants can escalate concerns to the local authority’s environmental health team, and landlords can face requirements to carry out works. If a tenant reports a concern, arranging a water test and, where lead is confirmed, planning replacement is the safest course of action.
Generally, no. Most buildings insurance policies treat planned replacement of an old lead pipe as maintenance or an upgrade rather than an insured event, and many policies specifically exclude damage caused by wear, corrosion or gradual deterioration.
Some policies do cover damage resulting from a sudden, unexpected leak, and may include trace-and-access costs, but this depends entirely on your specific policy wording. It’s worth checking your policy directly, but planned lead pipe replacement should generally be budgeted as a home improvement rather than assumed to be covered.
Lead pipework can be noted during a building survey, and surveyors are advised to inspect and comment on the material of both external and internal pipes. This doesn’t automatically block a sale or a mortgage, but it can factor into negotiations.
Buyers sometimes ask for a price adjustment to cover the cost of replacement. There’s no blanket rule preventing a mortgage on a property with lead pipes, but addressing it before marketing a property, or being prepared to discuss it during negotiations, can avoid delays later in the process.
Often, yes. Lead pipes can narrow internally over time due to scale and corrosion, which restricts flow. Replacing an old lead supply pipe with a modern polyethylene pipe of the correct diameter frequently improves both pressure and flow rate.
This is particularly true in older properties where the original pipe may be narrower than current standards. This is a welcome secondary benefit, though the primary reason for leplacement remains removing lead from your drinking water supply.
We begin with a site survey to identify the pipe route, material, entry point and any access constraints. Once you have a quote and are ready to proceed, we carry out the private-side replacement, using moling where ground conditions allow to minimise disruption, or open excavation where necessary.
The new pipe is inspected or certified before being reconnected. Where applicable, we notify your water company so they can arrange replacement of their communication pipe section. Finally, the system is flushed and commissioned before we hand the property back to you.
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We offer a free assessment and free quote across Mole Valley and the wider Surrey region, helping homeowners, landlords and potential buyers understand the quality of their water supply.
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