Since July 1999 in England and Wales, all plumbing systems, water fittings and equipment supplied, or to be supplied with water from the public water supply come under these Regulations.

Owners and occupiers of premises and anyone who installs plumbing systems or water fittings, have a legal duty to ensure that plumbing systems satisfy the Regulations. Advanced notice must be given of proposed installations in most cases, so architects, building developers and plumbers have to follow the Regulations on behalf of future owners or occupiers.

In effect, the Regulations provide an extra layer of protection for anyone having plumbing work carried out on their property, in particular where the work is carried-out by an Approved Contractor (see the link on the right to "Approved Contractors").

Plumbing systems must be designed, installed and maintained to meet the requirements of the Regulations and their Schedules.

Where water-using equipment is used with additional fluids or materials which could contaminate the water supply, there must be adequate protection to stop backflow of potentially contaminated water into other parts of the system, especially those used for drinking water.

Plumbing materials and fittings must meet the standards given in the Regulations. They must:

Every water fitting must be installed, connected, altered, repaired or disconnected in a professional manner to the standards required by the Regulations.

In most cases, a person intending to install plumbing systems or water fittings must provide details of what is proposed to South West Water and obtain the company's consent for the proposals before work starts.

If you are a contractor who is going to carry out the work

An Approved Contractor will certify that his or her installation satisfies the Regulations. If breaches of Regulations are found in certified work, the legal responsibility falls upon the Approved Contractor and not the owner or occupier.

The water supply companies are responsible to government for the enforcement of the Regulations.

The Regulations and their amendments (SI 1999 No 1148 and No 1506) are available from HMSO.