The tap water in Lancing is hard. Here’s the reason.

Like so much of Sussex and elsewhere throughout the south-east, living in Lancing means you’ll encounter hard water. It’s not the fault of rainwater, which is naturally soft. The issue is the soil beneath our feet.

Lancing lies on predominantly chalky soil, which is rich in calcium and magnesium minerals. When the rain reaches the soil, the calcium and magnesium components change the water from soft to hard. What a swizz!

For Lancing homeowners who don’t particularly care for constant hard water, the savvy thing to do is have a water softener installed. You’ll notice the benefits straightaway! Take skin and hair – they love soft water. It ensures they stay naturally soft, shiny and vibrant looking. And your laundry always feels so much softer to the touch when soft water is flowing through the washer!

Hard water is also the major cause of limescale, which can be a nightmare in the home. Thankfully, water softeners are highly efficient at getting rid of scale build-up, preventing it from accumulating in household appliances, like washing machines, kettles and dishwashers. Each works way better with softened water in the system. Cleaning kitchens and bathrooms becomes much more straightforward – and less costly – because surfaces keep their shine and you’ll use less detergents in the process. Your money also stretches much further with soft water coursing through your boiler. It won’t collect any scale, so it remains far more energy efficient. Good news with rising energy bills! Meanwhile, hard water dramatically downgrades heating systems. And, be warned, boilers are not cheap to either to repair or replace!

Lancing has a water hardness reading of 283 parts per million (ppm). Any reading above 200ppm is said to be hard, so Lancing has an unenviable track record in respect of its water hardness.

Lancing – an Overview

Annual rainfall: 24.80inch or 630mm.

The coastal village of Lancing in West Sussex occupies a narrow central section of the Sussex coastal plain between smaller Sompting to the west and Shoreham to the east. Lancing boasts the largest undivided village cluster in Britain and, at the 2011 census, the population registered 18,810.

An integral part of the wider Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation, Lancing has been a popular seaside resort since the mid-19th century. Today, traditional tourist hallmarks include a large caravan and campsite, as well as a plethora of beach chair hire and ice cream businesses.

Shoreham Airport (now Brighton City airport), the oldest licensed airfield in the UK, opened in 1911, is in Lancing parish.

Lancing College, situated across the road from Shoreham Airport, has the largest school chapel in the world, with the largest stained-glass rose window in England.