John Lewis has sent five months’ worth of bottled to hundreds of villagers because the area’s drinking supply is being polluted by the river near the retailer’s estate.
Some 500 people in the diminutive village of Longstock, near Andover, have been drinking their water out of bottles supplied by the nearby Leckford Estate – which is part of the John Lewis Partnership – for the last four months.
Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) advised the estate, which has funneled water to the village since 1929, to supply locals with the bottles after high levels of nitrate were discovered in its supply this April.
Representatives from the retailer’s sprawling 2,800-acre farmland, which is nestled in the Hampshire countryside, have since installed a working filtration system in a move to combat the issue.
But they are set to provide Longstock’s villagers with more bottles for some time yet while the systems are deployed at other boreholes across the region – which could take up to a month.
A spokesperson for the Leckford Estate told the Daily Mail: ‘The presence of nitrates is unfortunately a nationwide issue. We’re in regular contact with our residents and have supplied free bottled water while we install new filtration systems.
‘As a long-term solution to upgrade our infrastructure for Longstock Village and make sure our residents have uninterrupted water supply, we’re exploring options to join our local water provider.’
The Estate added that the water in Longstock remains drinkable for most people, with pregnant women and infants under six months the only people advised to avoid it as a precaution.
Some 500 people in the diminutive village of Longstock, near Andover, have been drinking their water out of bottles supplied by the nearby Leckford Estate for the last four months
Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) advised the estate, which has funneled water to the village since 1929, to supply locals with the bottles after high levels of nitrate were discovered in its supply this April
Longstock’s villagers are set to be provided with more bottles for some time yet while filtration systems are deployed at other boreholes across the region – which could take up to a month
Otherwise, they say, the tap water can be ‘safely consumed alongside other sources’, recommending that around 25 per cent of locals’ water consumption comes from other sources such as bottled water or from outside the village.
A spokesman for TBVC said: ‘Test Valley Borough Council were notified of this matter by Leckford Estate in April 2025 and have taken steps to explain to the estate what they need to do to resolve the matter.
‘Test Valley has visited the site and advised that bottled water should be provided however there has been no need to serve any public health notices.
‘Leckford Estate took responsibility for communicating directly with those affected and provided written information. The estate can return to normal supply once nitrate levels are stable and below the prescribed concentration of 50mg/l.’
It comes after the Environment Agency’s report published last December stated that 55 per cent of England was a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ).
The report said this meant ‘nearly 30 per cent of groundwater used for [drinking] in England must now be blended, treated, or replaced to meet tap water nitrate standards.’
The Drinking Water Inspectorate say very high amounts of nitrate in drinking water can cause methaemoglobinaemia – also known as blue baby syndrome – in very young children.
An extract from their website reads: ‘This is a potentially fatal illness where nitrate is converted to nitrite in the infant’s gut and interferes with the absorption of oxygen by the blood.’
