Water fittings: preventing backflow of water from toilet cisterns
- From:
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Welsh Government
- Published
- 8 August 2022
- Last updated
-
2417JanuaryJune20242025 — See all updates
Applies to England and Wales
We are analysing your feedback
Visit this page again soon to download the outcome to this public feedback.
Detail of feedback received
This consultation closed on 3 October 2022. We received 42 responses to the consultation. Not all respondents answered all questions.
We analysed responses on proposed changes to 11 specifications to:
- protect human health from contaminated drinking water
- reflect modern toilet designs
We made more amendments to our proposed specifications.
We notified the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the European Union of a potential technical barrier to trade. ThisThe notification to the EU is required under the Northern Ireland Protocol because these changes are relevant to compliance in Northern Ireland.
We received no comments from these notifications.
Responses to the call for evidence on faulty toilet valves covered a variety of areas reflecting the range of respondents’ experiences.
Most agreed that government should take action to reduce the impact of leaking toilets. Preferences on the approach were tightly clustered with no clear favoured option.
EvidenceDue andto commentsthe provideddiverse willrange allowof challenges posed in the consultation, Defra has since held 2 taskforces to haveidentify followsolutions. upWe conversationsare oncontinuing theto contentgather ofevidence anyfrom proposedwater changes.company Preliminaryand discussionsindustry withdata coreto stakeholderssupport areany alreadyfuture takingpolicy place.in this area.
The summary of responses and the government response to them, along with the final regulator specifications and test code sheets, are expected to be published inby summerthe 2024.end of 2025.
Summary
Seeking views on updating toilet specifications to stop cistern water from re-entering drinking water in properties and to understand the causes of leaking toilet valves.
This consultation was held on another website.
This consultation ran from
to
Consultation description
We want to know what you think about Defra’s proposed changes to 11 specifications made under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999.
These regulations are needed to protect human health from contaminated drinking water. We need to update the specifications to reflect modern toilet designs.
One change will introduce a new backflow prevention arrangement in the toilet cistern. Another will introduce a new test to ensure that water from the toilet pan cannot contaminate the water in the cistern.
The other changes will make the rules consistent and clearer and focus on how a product must perform.
We also want to gather evidence on faulty toilet valves that cause a loss of water and look at what could be done to improve these products.
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Updates to this page
Published 8 August 2022
Last updated 2417 JanuaryJune 2024
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Update history
2026-05-06 00:01
Added summary of responses and government response. Also added a link to the updated specifications which apply from 6 May 2027.
2025-06-17 09:44
Updated the ‘Details of feedback received’. 1. Updated the date Defra expects to publish the summary of responses and government response, the regulator specifications and the test code sheets to the end of 2025. 2. Added details on work related to leaking toilets since the consultation: Defra has held 2 taskforces to identify solutions and is continuing to gather evidence to support any future policy in this area.
2024-01-24 11:25
Feedback details have been updated to include a brief summary of responses to the ‘call for evidence’ on leaking toilets, and to amend the expected timeframe for the government response to summer 2024.
2022-12-19 15:11
The response to this consultation has been delayed.
2022-08-08 11:17
First published.
Detail of feedback received
This consultation closed on 3 October 2022. We received 42 responses to the consultation. Not all respondents answered all questions.
We analysed responses on proposed changes to 11 specifications to:
- protect human health from contaminated drinking water
- reflect modern toilet designs
We made more amendments to our proposed specifications.
We notified the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the European Union of a potential technical barrier to trade. ThisThe notification to the EU is required under the Northern Ireland Protocol because these changes are relevant to compliance in Northern Ireland.
We received no comments from these notifications.
Responses to the call for evidence on faulty toilet valves covered a variety of areas reflecting the range of respondents’ experiences.
Most agreed that government should take action to reduce the impact of leaking toilets. Preferences on the approach were tightly clustered with no clear favoured option.
EvidenceDue andto commentsthe provideddiverse willrange allowof challenges posed in the consultation, Defra has since held 2 taskforces to haveidentify followsolutions. upWe conversationsare oncontinuing theto contentgather ofevidence anyfrom proposedwater changes.company Preliminaryand discussionsindustry withdata coreto stakeholderssupport areany alreadyfuture takingpolicy place.in this area.
The summary of responses and the government response to them, along with the final regulator specifications and test code sheets, are expected to be published inby summerthe 2024.end of 2025.
Summary
Seeking views on updating toilet specifications to stop cistern water from re-entering drinking water in properties and to understand the causes of leaking toilet valves.
This consultation was held on another website.
This consultation ran from
to
Consultation description
We want to know what you think about Defra’s proposed changes to 11 specifications made under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999.
These regulations are needed to protect human health from contaminated drinking water. We need to update the specifications to reflect modern toilet designs.
One change will introduce a new backflow prevention arrangement in the toilet cistern. Another will introduce a new test to ensure that water from the toilet pan cannot contaminate the water in the cistern.
The other changes will make the rules consistent and clearer and focus on how a product must perform.
We also want to gather evidence on faulty toilet valves that cause a loss of water and look at what could be done to improve these products.
Share this page
The following links open in a new tab
Updates to this page
Published 8 August 2022
Last updated 2417 JanuaryJune 2024
+ show2025
href="#full-history">+ show all updates
-
Sign up for emails or print this page
Update history
2026-05-06 00:01
Added summary of responses and government response. Also added a link to the updated specifications which apply from 6 May 2027.
2025-06-17 09:44
Updated the ‘Details of feedback received’. 1. Updated the date Defra expects to publish the summary of responses and government response, the regulator specifications and the test code sheets to the end of 2025. 2. Added details on work related to leaking toilets since the consultation: Defra has held 2 taskforces to identify solutions and is continuing to gather evidence to support any future policy in this area.
2024-01-24 11:25
Feedback details have been updated to include a brief summary of responses to the ‘call for evidence’ on leaking toilets, and to amend the expected timeframe for the government response to summer 2024.
2022-12-19 15:11
The response to this consultation has been delayed.
2022-08-08 11:17
First published.
Summary
Seeking views on updating toilet specifications to stop cistern water from re-entering drinking water in properties and to understand the causes of leaking toilet valves.
This consultation was held on another website.
This consultation ran from
to
Consultation description
We want to know what you think about Defra’s proposed changes to 11 specifications made under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999.
These regulations are needed to protect human health from contaminated drinking water. We need to update the specifications to reflect modern toilet designs.
One change will introduce a new backflow prevention arrangement in the toilet cistern. Another will introduce a new test to ensure that water from the toilet pan cannot contaminate the water in the cistern.
The other changes will make the rules consistent and clearer and focus on how a product must perform.
We also want to gather evidence on faulty toilet valves that cause a loss of water and look at what could be done to improve these products.
Share this page
The following links open in a new tab
Updates to this page
Published 8 August 2022
Last updated 2417 JanuaryJune 2024
+ show2025
href="#full-history">+ show all updates
-
Sign up for emails or print this page
Update history
2026-05-06 00:01
Added summary of responses and government response. Also added a link to the updated specifications which apply from 6 May 2027.
2025-06-17 09:44
Updated the ‘Details of feedback received’. 1. Updated the date Defra expects to publish the summary of responses and government response, the regulator specifications and the test code sheets to the end of 2025. 2. Added details on work related to leaking toilets since the consultation: Defra has held 2 taskforces to identify solutions and is continuing to gather evidence to support any future policy in this area.
2024-01-24 11:25
Feedback details have been updated to include a brief summary of responses to the ‘call for evidence’ on leaking toilets, and to amend the expected timeframe for the government response to summer 2024.
2022-12-19 15:11
The response to this consultation has been delayed.
2022-08-08 11:17
First published.
Consultation description
We want to know what you think about Defra’s proposed changes to 11 specifications made under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999.
These regulations are needed to protect human health from contaminated drinking water. We need to update the specifications to reflect modern toilet designs.
One change will introduce a new backflow prevention arrangement in the toilet cistern. Another will introduce a new test to ensure that water from the toilet pan cannot contaminate the water in the cistern.
The other changes will make the rules consistent and clearer and focus on how a product must perform.
We also want to gather evidence on faulty toilet valves that cause a loss of water and look at what could be done to improve these products.
Share this page
The following links open in a new tab
Updates to this page
Sign up for emails or print this page
Update history
2026-05-06 00:01
Added summary of responses and government response. Also added a link to the updated specifications which apply from 6 May 2027.
2025-06-17 09:44
Updated the ‘Details of feedback received’. 1. Updated the date Defra expects to publish the summary of responses and government response, the regulator specifications and the test code sheets to the end of 2025. 2. Added details on work related to leaking toilets since the consultation: Defra has held 2 taskforces to identify solutions and is continuing to gather evidence to support any future policy in this area.
2024-01-24 11:25
Feedback details have been updated to include a brief summary of responses to the ‘call for evidence’ on leaking toilets, and to amend the expected timeframe for the government response to summer 2024.
2022-12-19 15:11
The response to this consultation has been delayed.
2022-08-08 11:17
First published.