We are aware that customers may be experiencing an earthy, musty taste and odour to their supply.
Posted: Wednesday 20th August 2025 – 09:55hrs
We are aware that customers in the Kirkcaldy, KY2 and KY1; Burntisland, KY3; Lochgelly, KY5; Perth, PH2; Leven, KY8 and KY9; Kinross, KY13; Anstruther, KY10; Glenfarg, PH2; Glenrothes, KY7; KY15, Cupar and St Andrews, KY16 areas may be noticing an earthy or musty taste and odour in their water supply.
The earthy or musty taste and odour for customers across all areas is often caused by a naturally occurring, harmless organic compound called 2- Methylisoborneol (MIB).
We are currently carrying out changes at our water treatment works to resolve the taste and odour for customers, but this may take some time due to the size of the water network supplying these areas.
What is MIB?
MIB is produced by the natural breakdown of algae and other micro-organisms in raw water sources. While it can affect the taste and smell of water, MIB is completely safe to consume and poses no risk to health. Some individuals are particularly sensitive and can detect it even at very low concentrations.
MIB has a distinct earthy, musty taste and odour and is present in some foods such as beetroot, spinach, and mushrooms. It contributes to the strong scent that occurs i the air when rain falls after a dry spell of weather or when soil is disturbed. Chilling the water, adding ice cubes, a slice of lemon, or a few drops of lemon juice may help to reduce the taste and odour produced by MIB.
📄 Learn more in our factsheet:
We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience and understanding.
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Interruption to supply
When we are doing maintenance or repairs to the water network, you may experience cloudy or discoloured water. This video explains what to do if you are affected.
Burst Water Main FAQs
Discoloured Water FAQs
If the water from your cold kitchen tap (or any other mains fed tap) suddenly becomes discoloured, this could be because some maintenance or repair work is being carried out on our network in your area. If we have not informed you of any work being carried out, please contact us for more details. If we are not working in your area, we will investigate the cause of discolouration for you and let you know. For more information please see our factsheet: Colour, taste and odour explained.
In most cases discoloured water is not harmful and can be cleared by running the first incoming cold water tap (usually in the kitchen) at a trickle until it clears. Very occasionally customers have noticed "tiny particles" or "bits" in their tap water. This can be caused by planned or unplanned work to the water supply network which causes natural sediment in the pipes to shift (quite often this is a dark red, brown colour).
Small dark grey or black particles can occasionally be caused if your pipework is made from lead. This is most likely if your house was built before 1970. For more information see our Lead and Your Water pages.
