In fact it's only if the establishment serves food that they have to be prepared to supply tap water for free. Is it law to serve tap water in the UK? You can request it at any restaurant and it will be free. Often it will arrive with ice cubes and a slice of lemon.
To sum up, drinking untested bathroom water in the UK is generally unsafe. As such, it is best to be cautious when considering whether to do so. Even though hotels, homes, and most other buildings are supplied with safe drinking water, there are too many variables to consider with bathroom water.
How Bad Is Tap Water for Health? | Dr. Andrew Huberman
Is it illegal not to serve tap water in a restaurant UK?
All restaurants in England and Wales that serve alcohol are legally required to give customers free tap water according to the Licensing Act 2003 (Mandatory Licensing Conditions) Order 2010, which came into force in April 2010 and was updated in 2014. Those that don't are under no obligation to do so.
Even though homes and hotels are supplied with water safe for drinking, there are too many variables to consider to completely guarantee its safety. So it's best to avoid drinking from a bathroom tap if you can. Stick to bottled water or a kitchen tap.
All licensed premises in England and Wales are required by law to provide "free potable water" to their customers upon request. In Scotland a similar law applies, but specifies "tap water fit for drinking".
All licensed premises authorised to serve alcohol, including pubs, bars, nightclubs, cafes and restaurants, must by law provide free drinking water, even if you are not a paying customer.
Your seat could be used by someone buying rounds of food and drinks, that put profits in their register, and tips for the waitstaff. If you're with friends and they order drinks, I think it's fine if you choose not to order one. If you're there alone, that would be kinda weird to just sit there and order nothing.
To recover the lost margins - It's unfortunate but a reality for publicans that they make the least money on their most popular drinks. The prices go up on the others to make up for it. And the margins on a dollop of post-mix syrup and fizzy water are huge.
There is no law stopping any anyone from takingtheir own alcohol into a pub for consumption. Equally there is a law that says a licensee can lawfully eject such a person and ban them from ever coming into those premises again. You certainly have no legal right to do so, and most pubs will not allow it.
Why isn't water ever free? Because someone has to fetch it from wherever it is and deliver it to your doorstep, or at least to the town square. And the big thing there to know is that water is heavy - twice as heavy per volume as fuel oil or gasoline (8 pounds per gallon).
Your premises must have adequate facilities for cleaning, disinfecting and storing utensils, including equipment. The facilities must have an adequate supply of hot and cold water.
“Por favor, ¿puede traerme un vaso de agua del grifo?” – Please can you bring me a glass of tap water? If you would prefer to order a bottle of mineral water, you can ask, “Por favor, ¿puede traerme una botella de agua mineral?” – Please can you bring me a bottle of mineral water?
In the United Kingdom, tap water is generally considered safe to drink, and it is provided by local water companies. The cost of tap water is included in the overall water and sewage charges that households pay, so in this sense, it is not free, but rather it is paid for through local taxes and utility bills.
A Costa spokeswoman said the coffee chain was “poised” to sign up to the Refill initiative, though it was not yet currently confirmed. She added that Costa already offered free water in its stores.
British tap water is said to be one of the best water supplies in the world, with a quality rating of 99.96% according to Discover Water. This quality is regularly monitored by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) to ensure our water is both clean and safe to drink.
What is the difference between safe and potable water?
Drinkable water means it is free of unpleasant odors, tastes and colors, and is within reasonable limits of temperature (Dugan, 1972). Safe water means it contains no toxins, carcinogens, pathogenic micro-organisms, or other health hazards (US National Academy of Sciences, 1977–82).
We work hard to improve the quality of your drinking water. Every year we carry out more than 500,000 tests. We take samples from our water mains and pipes, as well as from customers' taps. Since 2010, more than 99.95% of tests taken from customers' taps met the standard required by UK and European legislation.
And, while the water from a hotel bathroom tap goes through filtration and treatment to mitigate contaminants, it's safe to avoid this water supply if you can: The potential risks to your long-term health aren't worth it.
