GUNNAR the Viking toasted news that Yorkshire's tap water remains some of the best in the country.

The water we drink continues to be better than the average for England and Wales - even though it wasn't quite as good last year as in 2001 - said the annual report of the Drinking Water Inspectorate.

The inspectorate says it's all a far cry from Viking times in York, when water sources such as the Ouse were so polluted that Viking settlers preferred bug-free beer or mead.

In 2002, more than a quarter of a million drinking water samples across the region were tested and 99.89 per cent of them complied with stringent regulatory standards, compared with the national average of 99.87 per cent.

The regional figure fell by 0.02 per cent from the previous year's record

high of 99.91 per cent, but the inspectorate said this was not significant, and it revealed that since 1992, there has been an 87 per cent decrease in the number of tests failing the standard. The inspectorate said it investigated ten incidents affecting water quality in the region in 2002. "Each was of a short duration and Yorkshire Water was deemed to have taken appropriate remedial action, although recommendations were made regarding sampling and procedures."

Problems included a disinfection failure at Kepwick, near Thirsk, and discoloured water at Selby.

Updated: 14:31 Wednesday, July 09, 2003