Southern Water’s new laboratory has started work, testing hundreds of chemical and microbiology samples each day.

The lab, run by ALS Environmental, plays a vital role in ensuring that the company’s drinking water always meets the strictest standards.

On site at Otterbourne, Hampshire, a team of analysts test samples taken from across the region – from river abstraction points and boreholes to water supply works, storage reservoirs and customers’ taps.

Southern Water’s water quality compliance manager Shelley Williams said: “A quarter of a million tests are carried out each year in our Otterbourne lab.

“It’s all about getting the most accurate result in the fastest time possible. This new lab can process all our samples for bacterial analysis, all of which would have previously been taken further afield for analysis, so it’s extremely important for us. This is a side of the business customers don’t normally see but it’s one of the most vital in protecting public health.”