Cambourne sits on the same Anglian Water chalk supply that runs across most of South Cambridgeshire, which means hard water is just part of life here. Limescale shortens tap lifespans, clogs valves, and gradually reduces flow through the modern plastic pipework that's standard across the new-build estates. Its effects show daily — from the original Great Cambourne homes that are now twenty-five years old to the brand-new plots still going up on Cambourne West. For tackling it at source — softeners, filters, and reverse osmosis — see the water treatment page.
Cambourne is unique among the towns we cover because almost everything here was built from scratch after 1998. The original Great Cambourne homes are coming up to twenty-five years old now — the kitchens are due for refits, the boilers are reaching the end of their first warranty cycle, and the developer-grade fittings are starting to need upgrading. Lower Cambourne added another wave of housing in the early 2000s, Upper Cambourne came later, and Cambourne West is still being built today. Out in the surrounding villages of Bourn, Elsworth, Caxton, and Eltisley you get the opposite end of the spectrum — period cottages with original copper pipework that have their own quirks. Your plumber works across the whole range.
