John Lewis estate hands out bottled water after drinking supply polluted
The partnership has been supplying locals in Longstock, near Andover, with free bottled water for the past four months after tests found high levels of nitrates in drinking water sourced from its Leckford Estate.
John Lewis typically supplies half of the villagers in Longstock with water from the Leckford Estate, a sprawling 2,800-acre land holding that has been part of the partnership since 1929. The farm at the estate is used to grow Waitrose produce including apples and pears.
Nitrates are chemical compounds used in fertiliser to help provide nutrients for crops to grow. They can come into the water supply when rainfall washes fertiliser out of the soil.
High levels of nitrate in water can make it dangerous to drink as the compound limits how much oxygen someone's blood can carry. For young infants, it can lead to blue baby syndrome.
Local authorities have told residents in Longstock they can still drink tap water from the Leckford Estate as long as it is not the only water they drink. They must get a quarter of their water from other sources, such as bottled. Pregnant women and young children have been advised not to drink the tap water as a precaution.
The Leckford Estate has fitted a new filtration system at its boreholes, which are fed by water from multiple places, including the River Test. However, problems are expected to continue for at least the next four weeks as testing of the new system takes place.
A spokesman for the Leckford Estate said: '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.'
Government officials warned in December there had been an increase in nitrate concentration in water over the past few years.
Officials said they believed the recent increase was down to 'the impact of recent dry weather, changes in cropping patterns and increased spreading of materials to land'. More than half of England has been classed as 'nitrate vulnerable zones', meaning areas where there is a risk of pollution from nitrates due to agricultural activity.
Currently, almost 30pc of water sourced from underneath the ground – rather than rivers – must now be blended or treated to meet safety standards.
The problems at Leckford Estate come amid wider concern over the quality of water in England, with a number of providers rebuked for contaminating rivers and other open waters. Southern Water, which provides water in the surrounding area to the Leckford Estate, was responsible for 15 serious water pollution incidents last year.
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John Lewis has sent five months' worth of bottled to hundreds of villagers because the area's drinking supply is being polluted by 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. 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 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.'
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John Lewis has sent villagers in Hampshire months' worth of bottled water after fertilisers polluted the water supply at the retailer's nearby estate. The partnership has been supplying locals in Longstock, near Andover, with free bottled water for the past four months after tests found high levels of nitrates in drinking water sourced from its Leckford Estate. John Lewis typically supplies half of the villagers in Longstock with water from the Leckford Estate, a sprawling 2,800-acre land holding that has been part of the partnership since 1929. The farm at the estate is used to grow Waitrose produce including apples and pears. Nitrates are chemical compounds used in fertiliser to help provide nutrients for crops to grow. They can come into the water supply when rainfall washes fertiliser out of the soil. High levels of nitrate in water can make it dangerous to drink as the compound limits how much oxygen someone's blood can carry. For young infants, it can lead to blue baby syndrome. Local authorities have told residents in Longstock they can still drink tap water from the Leckford Estate as long as it is not the only water they drink. They must get a quarter of their water from other sources, such as bottled. Pregnant women and young children have been advised not to drink the tap water as a precaution. The Leckford Estate has fitted a new filtration system at its boreholes, which are fed by water from multiple places, including the River Test. However, problems are expected to continue for at least the next four weeks as testing of the new system takes place. A spokesman for the Leckford Estate said: '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.' Government officials warned in December there had been an increase in nitrate concentration in water over the past few years. Officials said they believed the recent increase was down to 'the impact of recent dry weather, changes in cropping patterns and increased spreading of materials to land'. More than half of England has been classed as 'nitrate vulnerable zones', meaning areas where there is a risk of pollution from nitrates due to agricultural activity. Currently, almost 30pc of water sourced from underneath the ground – rather than rivers – must now be blended or treated to meet safety standards. The problems at Leckford Estate come amid wider concern over the quality of water in England, with a number of providers rebuked for contaminating rivers and other open waters. Southern Water, which provides water in the surrounding area to the Leckford Estate, was responsible for 15 serious water pollution incidents last year.
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