Uttoxeter Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Severn Trent Water supplies Uttoxeter, a market town on the River Dove in east Staffordshire — celebrated for the racecourse, the Bamford cheese factory, and Dr Johnson's act of public penance at the town's market cross — from Dove Valley and Churnet Valley Staffordshire Moorlands reservoirs in the southern Peak District fringe, treated at regional east Staffordshire works. At 157.5 mg/L (11.1°Clark), Uttoxeter's water is moderately hard, reflecting the influence of Carboniferous Limestone geology in the upper Dove catchment above Uttoxeter.

Uttoxeter sits in the Dove Valley where the river descends from the spectacular Dove Dale limestone gorge in the southern Peak District. The River Dove drains the Carboniferous Limestone (Peak Limestone) of the White Peak plateau — the same limestone that creates Dove Dale's dramatic cliffs — carrying naturally moderately hard calcium bicarbonate water downstream to Uttoxeter. Severn Trent Water supplements the river supply with reservoir catchment water from the Staffordshire Moorlands, but the Dove's limestone character imparts a moderate mineral loading of 157.5 mg/L with TDS 403.8 mg/L to the east Staffordshire supply zone.

At 157.5 mg/L, limescale is a noticeable household concern in Uttoxeter. Kettles benefit from descaling every four to six weeks. The combi-boiler should be fitted with a scale inhibitor and serviced annually. Washing-up liquid requires slightly more product than in softer areas. Taps and shower heads develop moderate limescale deposits within two to three weeks; a monthly wipe with white vinegar keeps fixtures in good condition. The moderately hard Dove Valley supply is characteristic of east Staffordshire market towns that receive water with a gentle Carboniferous Limestone character from the Peak District limestone plateau upstream.