Many clients tell us that before they have water softeners fitted in their Berkshire homes, they’ve relied on expensive bottled water in order to have drinking water they enjoy. Across the country, many families choose bottled water over drinking water for fear of contaminants, however, the world is facing a much bigger battle when it comes to what we drink as a recent study has found that over 90 per cent of bottled waters have micro-strands of plastic in them, according to The Independent.

Of course, not only does drinking bottled water add to our problem with waste plastic, but the study, which tested 250 bottles from 11 brands around the world, found that almost all had some level of potentially harmful plastic particles inside.

It has been known that these particles exist in drinking water for sometime, so these findings throw the theory that bottled water is a safer option for drinking than tap water into contention.

Dr Andrew Mayes from The University of East Anglia, reviewed the study and said that people were becoming increasingly concerned with the effects of plastics on not only the environment, but also their bodies. His department have created a new way to test for collection of micro-particles in the body.

However, a spokesperson for the National Hydration Council disputes the findings: “We would like to reassure the public that all natural source bottled water is safe and is subject to significant testing, amounting to several hundreds of thousands of tests each year for every brand of bottled water sold in the UK.”

They point out that the report has not been independently reviewed by scientific peer review and that it needs further investigation before conclusive evidence can be taken from the study.