Pipes & Heat in Old Cambridge

A reading site on water and heating in older Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire homes. Not a plumbing or heating firm.

Inside this site

Who does what ยท In brief

Finding a WaterSafe plumber, and when notice is due

A WaterSafe approved plumber can give a work completed certificate, which WaterSafe describes as a legal defence. The free register helps with the fittings rules, which place duties on owners and occupiers, not only tradespeople.

Most useful for: Owners, tenants and landlords planning plumbing work on an older house

Compiled from the sources at the end. Updated .

Narrow street with white-painted shuttered cottages on the left, brick houses on the right and cars parked along the kerb.
Painted cottages and brick houses on a narrow street.

It is easy to assume the rules on water fittings are only the plumber's concern. The Drinking Water Inspectorate says the Water Fittings Regulations 1999 give owners, occupiers and anyone working on the system a legal duty.

What WaterSafe does and does not do

WaterSafe is a free, industry-funded national accreditation register, backed by the DWI. It vets individuals' competence and does not guarantee their work. Check the person doing the job is on the register, and ask for the work completed certificate at the end. Keep it with your other house records, because it is what shows the work was done by someone approved. Gas is separate: a boiler needs a Gas Safe registered engineer.

When does the water company need notice?

Regulation 5 requires notice and consent before certain works. Examples include:

  • a pump drawing over 12 litres a minute on a supply pipe
  • a bath over 230 litres
  • water pipes laid outside at less than 750mm or over 1350mm deep
  • a water treatment unit that discharges waste water or uses water for regeneration or cleaning

The last wording does not say "softener"; applying it to one is this site's reading, so check with your water company. Your supply pipe is the usual place the depth limits apply. Reg 5 is also worth knowing before adding a pump for low pressure. Before anyone opens up an older house, tell them what you know about any asbestos. HSE says to tell contractors before they start.

Sources, read 4 November 2026: Drinking Water Inspectorate: finding a plumber; WaterSafe: about; Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, regulation 5; HSE: asbestos FAQs.