Millions could be affected by controversial 'biggest' change to tap water in decades

Why does water never laugh at jokes?

It isn’t a fan of dry humour.

Sorry, you're about to read an article about tap water, so I thought I'd try to make it a bit interesting.

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Right, so the 'biggest' and most controversial change to tap water could be on the horizon after documented proposals have officially been drawn out.

Since the 1980s, the government has vowed to switch up the national tap water supply for something more health benefitting.

And many water-consuming Brits have been missing out on what some consider to be an important mineral, which doesn't pass through millions of taps throughout the county.

So, around 1.6million people in the North East could be lucky enough to have the mineral fluoride added to their water pipes, and it can be good for your teeth health, according to the NHS.

It can apparently help prevent tooth decay, which is why it's added to many brands of toothpaste and, in some areas, to the water supply through a process called fluoridation.

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Areas where water fluoridation schemes are currently in place include:

• the West Midlands
• the North East
• the East Midlands
• Eastern England
• the North West
• Yorkshire and Humber

According to the British Fluoridation Society, only 10 per cent of the UK's population currently get water with sufficient fluoride levels.

Although some have suggested that fluoride may be linked to a variety of health conditions, the NHS say that 'the risks have so far found no convincing evidence to support these concerns'.

However, a condition called dental fluorosis can sometimes occur if a child's teeth are exposed to too much fluoride when they're developing, they added.

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Barry Crockroft, the former chief dental officer for England, and now chairman of the British Fluoridation Society, said: "If it was toxic the Russians would be using it.

"There is a health monitoring programme carried out on a rolling basis and there has never been any disease which has shown up as linked.

"You can never prove a negative. I could suggest that chocolate biscuits cause dementia, God forbid, but nobody has done the research to show it is not true."

On the scheme, the Government said: "Under new legislation, we have made it simpler to start new water fluoridation schemes.

"Our long-term ambition is to systematically bring fluoridation to more of the country, with a particular focus on the most deprived areas, which stand to benefit most from fluoridation."