Part of the Legionella Data Index · compiled 2 August 2026
Legionnaires' disease in the West Midlands
The most recent regional figure UKHSA states explicitly: 71 confirmed cases of legionellosis in the West Midlands in 2023, a rate of 1.2 per 100,000 residents.
Whatever the regional count, the duties do not change: a non-domestic water system in the West Midlands still needs a risk assessment, a written scheme of control, and the records to show the scheme is being followed. Source: UKHSA national surveillance (Open Government Licence).
Prosecutions tracked in the West Midlands
The tracker holds 4 legionella prosecutions from the West Midlands, totalling £1.05m in fines (2014–2023).
| Defendant | Year | Sector | Fine | Prosecutor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Riaar Plastics Limited Five people, including members of the public, contracted Legionnaires' disease near a West Bromwich plastics factory in 2020, one needing intensive care. The site's cooling towers were in extremely poor condition. Source
|
2023 | Manufacturing | £50k | HSE |
|
Isher Hangers (K & S Chatha) The owners of a Birmingham hanger manufacturer failed to control legionella from a cooling tower, ignoring their own consultants' warnings and having no risk assessment, on a site near two hospitals. Each received a 12-week sentence suspended for 12 months, a rare custodial legionella outcome. Source
|
2020 | Manufacturing | n/a | HSE |
|
JTF Wholesale Limited Death/outbreak A heated spa pool displayed for sale for months at a Stoke-on-Trent warehouse store caused a 2012 outbreak: 21 people fell ill and three died. The HSE considered corporate manslaughter before accepting a guilty plea to failing to risk-assess and maintain the hot tub. Source
|
2017 | Retail | £1m | HSE |
|
Pride Cleaners (2000) Limited A Stourbridge dry-cleaning firm could not show how it was managing a cooling tower integral to its process, having dropped its water-treatment consultant without alternative controls, creating a legionella risk to workers and the public. The company, which had ceased trading, pleaded guilty to breaching HSWA ss.2(1) and 3(1) at Birmingham Magistrates' Court in August 2014 and was fined a nominal £100 plus £50 costs. Source
|
2014 | Dry cleaning | £100 | HSE |
The full UK record, its curation rules and the per-sector breakdown are on the Legionella Enforcement Tracker; sector views sit under the Index.
Water hardness in the West Midlands towns
19 of 22 towns here carry a reported hardness figure; the rest show a band inferred from the water company's own statement, or an honest gap. Every row names its source and confidence. Scale risk uses the DWI/WHO anchor: scaling begins around 200 mg/l CaCO₃.
| Town | Water company | Hardness (mg/l CaCO₃) | Hardness band | Scale risk | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | Severn Trent Water | 72 | Soft | Low | Two agreeing sources - unverified (MyTapWater + WaterGrade) Two independent aggregators agree; still to be spot-checked against the company checker. |
| Bromsgrove | Severn Trent Water | 192.4 | Moderately hard | Moderate | Single source - unverified (WaterGrade) |
| Cannock | Severn Trent Water | 250.3 | Hard | High | Single source - unverified (WaterGrade) |
| Coventry | Severn Trent Water | 180-201 | Moderately hard to Hard | Moderate to high | Two agreeing sources - unverified (MyTapWater + WaterGrade) Two independent aggregators agree; still to be spot-checked against the company checker. |
| Dudley | Severn Trent Water | 199.4 | Moderately hard | Moderate | Single source - unverified (WaterGrade) Shared supply zone with Walsall and West Bromwich. |
| Kidderminster | Severn Trent Water | 225 | Hard | High | Single source - unverified (WaterGrade) |
| Nuneaton | Severn Trent Water | 259.3 | Hard | High | Single source - unverified (WaterGrade) |
| Redditch | Severn Trent Water | 205.9 | Hard | High | Single source - unverified (WaterGrade) |
| Rugby | Severn Trent Water | 296.9 | Hard | High | Single source - unverified (WaterGrade) |
| Shrewsbury | Severn Trent Water | 330.7 | Very hard | Very high | Single source - unverified (WaterGrade) |
| Solihull | Severn Trent Water | 81.8 | Soft | Low | Single source - unverified (WaterGrade) |
| Stafford | Severn Trent Water | 292.7 | Hard | High | Single source - unverified (WaterGrade) |
| Stoke-on-Trent | Severn Trent Water | 150-157 | Slightly hard to Moderately hard | Moderate | Two agreeing sources - unverified (MyTapWater + WaterGrade) Two independent aggregators agree; still to be spot-checked against the company checker. |
| Stratford-upon-Avon | Severn Trent Water | 377.8 | Very hard | Very high | Single source - unverified (WaterGrade) |
| Sutton Coldfield | Severn Trent Water | — | — | — | No sourced data The supply company spans soft upland and hard groundwater zones, so no town-level value or band can be inferred; use the company postcode water-quality checker. |
| Tamworth | Severn Trent Water | 277.1 | Hard | High | Single source - unverified (WaterGrade) |
| Telford | Severn Trent Water | 364 | Very hard | Very high | Single source - unverified (WaterGrade) |
| Walsall | Severn Trent Water | 199.4 | Moderately hard | Moderate | Single source - unverified (WaterGrade) Shared supply zone with Dudley and West Bromwich. |
| Warwick | Severn Trent Water | 328.8 | Very hard | Very high | Single source - unverified (WaterGrade) |
| West Bromwich | Severn Trent Water | 199.4 | Moderately hard | Moderate | Single source - unverified (WaterGrade) Shared supply zone with Walsall and Dudley. |
| Wolverhampton | Severn Trent Water | Withheld | — | — | Conflict: MyTapWater 140 vs WaterGrade 250.3 - withheld The two compiled values disagree, so neither is published; verify via the company checker. |
| Worcester | Severn Trent Water | Withheld | — | — | Conflict: MyTapWater 125 vs WaterGrade 241.5 - withheld The two compiled values disagree, so neither is published; verify via the company checker. |
* Band or scale risk inferred from the water company's own published statement, not a measured town value. Figures labelled "unverified" come from aggregator sites and should be confirmed against the company's postcode water-quality checker before being relied on. How this dataset is built.
What councils in the West Midlands ask of landlords
The national legionella duty is the same everywhere; what varies locally is property licensing and whether legionella is written into licence conditions. These verified councils fall in the West Midlands:
| Council | Nation | Scheme | In force | Legionella in licensing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coventry City Council Citywide: 3-4 person HMOs and s.257 HMOs Private Rented Sector Code of Practice (applied to licensed HMOs), §7.1.5: "A risk assessment for the control of legionella bacteria must be carried out and all recommendations should be adhered to." Source document | England | Additional HMO licensing | 4 May 2020 onwards | Explicit licence condition |
| Birmingham City Council Selective: 25 wards. Additional: citywide. Fees £700/£755; 5 years Official selective licensing conditions PDF scanned: no legionella. (Additional licensing conditions not yet scanned.) Source document | England | Selective licensing + Additional HMO licensing | 5 Jun 2023 onwards | Checked - not in conditions |