CAN you tell tap water from mineral water?

That was the challenge we set after the Government said north west water was cleaner than ever - more than 99 per cent of tests pass quality standards.

So we took to the streets to ask people if they could tell the difference between United Utilities tap water and three samples of mineral water - out of seven tasters, two guessed which one was tap water.

And here's a sobering thought:

One litre of tap water costs 0.0002p, and a litre of cheap mineral water costs around £1.10 - around half-a-million times more expensive.

l Brothers Shaheen Rhmani, aged 19, left, and Shahab, aged 22, from Wilderspool Causeway, both got it wrong - although they did say that it all tasted better than London water.

l Cecilia Waras, a 29-year-old Swede living in Culcheth, thought the one with the 'iron' taste was the tap water and was surprised to get it wrong.

l Adam White, aged 18, a Priestley College student from Woolston, said it was hard to tell the difference between them.

l Janine Murrell, aged 30, from Runcorn, said before her test she did not think there was any difference between tap water and mineral water - but she got it right, saying the tap water had a 'calcium' taste.

l Mark Rutter, aged 32, from Birchwood, said he likes sparkling spring water because the tap water is 'disgusting'. They all tasted the same to him, but he did guess correctly.

l Sara Oldfield, aged 16, an A-level student from Grappenhall, got it wrong - she expected the tap water to taste 'metally and of taps'.