RESIDENTS are being urged to take a 'scratch test' after new figures show 68 per cent of homeowners do not know if their property has potentially harmful lead water pipes.

A recent survey by WaterSafe, the UK register for approved plumbers, revealed more than two-thirds of properties could contain pipes that lead to a build-up of lead in the body.

These pipes, used for drinking and cooking, can be bad for your health, especially for babies and children, whose development can be affected.

WaterSafe is urging residents to take the 'scratch test', which involves scratching the surface of pipes where they enter the house, normally located in a kitchen cupboard or under the stairs, with a coin.

If the pipes are lead this should reveal a shiny silver-coloured metal.

A further 53 per cent of homeowners do not know it is their responsibility to replace lead pipes they find in their home, should they choose to replace them with copper or plastic ones approved for tap water.

The use of lead in plumbing has been banned in the UK for more than 25 years, so houses built before 1970 are most likely to have lead pipes.