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Audit and Inspection

Audits are an important way of checking how Scottish Water is performing and ensuring that the Regulations are being complied with.  DWQR regularly inspects the following areas:

  • Water Treatment Works
  • Management of the Distribution System
  • Sampling and Analytical Services
  • Consumer Contacts about Water Quality

When selecting areas to audit, every attempt is made to follow a risk-based approach at the same time as ensuring the audit programme covers the whole of Scotland.

At each audit if DWQR finds any deficiencies, recommendations will be made as to actions Scottish Water needs to take to put things right.  DWQR will track progress to carry out the recommended actions.  Sometimes DWQR revisits the site to check that all recommendations have been discharged. Where deficiencies are serious, DWQR may threaten enforcement action against Scottish Water unless the problem is rectified immediately.  Most recommendations are quite technical in nature and do not necessarily mean there is an immediate threat to drinking water quality.  Scottish Water co-operates fully with DWQR's audit programme and, in most cases, any problems are fixed very promptly.  DWQR often collaborates with other UK regulators as part of a benchmarking exercise to ensure a similar approach to drinking water regulation is used across the UK.

Summary reports for DWQR audits may be accessed via the menu at the left of this page.  Consumers will appreciate that it is not appropriate to publish detailed audit reports about treatment sites and processes for reasons of security, however the summary report will give an indication as to how well the site performed.