Radon in United Kingdom
Official radon data, regulations and resources
National reference level
200 Bq/m³
Competent authority
Regions
Aberdeen City
6 municipalities · 4 high-risk
Aberdeenshire
39 municipalities · 23 high-risk
Anglesey
17 municipalities · 5 high-risk
Angus
11 municipalities
Argyll and Bute
18 municipalities · 3 high-risk
Barnsley
20 municipalities · 3 high-risk
Bath and North East Somerset
25 municipalities · 24 high-risk
Bedford
28 municipalities · 1 high-risk
Blackburn with Darwen
3 municipalities
Blackpool
2 municipalities
Blaenau Gwent
7 municipalities · 1 high-risk
Borough of Bolton
7 municipalities
Borough of Bury
6 municipalities · 1 high-risk
Borough of Halton
5 municipalities
Borough of Oldham
12 municipalities · 3 high-risk
Borough of Rochdale
5 municipalities · 3 high-risk
Borough of Stockport
6 municipalities
Borough of Swindon
8 municipalities
Borough of Tameside
8 municipalities · 2 high-risk
Borough of Thurrock
11 municipalities
Borough of Torbay
4 municipalities · 3 high-risk
Borough of Wigan
10 municipalities · 2 high-risk
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council
7 municipalities
Bracknell Forest
5 municipalities
Bradford
20 municipalities · 9 high-risk
Bridgend county borough
14 municipalities · 12 high-risk
Brighton and Hove
4 municipalities · 2 high-risk
Buckinghamshire
54 municipalities · 1 high-risk
Caerphilly County Borough
22 municipalities · 15 high-risk
Calderdale
15 municipalities · 4 high-risk
Cambridgeshire
73 municipalities · 2 high-risk
Cardiff
6 municipalities · 3 high-risk
Carmarthenshire
33 municipalities · 23 high-risk
Central Bedfordshire
59 municipalities
Cheshire East
33 municipalities
Cheshire West and Chester
42 municipalities
City and Borough of Birmingham
4 municipalities · 1 high-risk
City and Borough of Leeds
34 municipalities · 8 high-risk
City and Borough of Salford
6 municipalities · 2 high-risk
City and Borough of Wakefield
25 municipalities · 12 high-risk
City and County of Swansea
15 municipalities · 9 high-risk
City of Bristol
1 municipalities · 1 high-risk
City of Edinburgh
9 municipalities
City of Kingston upon Hull
2 municipalities
City of Leicester
5 municipalities
City of York
18 municipalities
Clackmannanshire
8 municipalities · 2 high-risk
Conwy
13 municipalities · 10 high-risk
Cornwall
79 municipalities · 72 high-risk
County Durham
75 municipalities · 15 high-risk
County of Ceredigion
17 municipalities · 7 high-risk
County of Flintshire
20 municipalities · 20 high-risk
Coventry
2 municipalities · 2 high-risk
Cumbria
47 municipalities · 20 high-risk
Darlington
9 municipalities · 2 high-risk
Denbighshire
16 municipalities · 11 high-risk
Derby
4 municipalities
Derbyshire
59 municipalities · 28 high-risk
Devon
83 municipalities · 47 high-risk
District of Rutland
27 municipalities · 26 high-risk
Doncaster
26 municipalities · 1 high-risk
Dorset
45 municipalities · 7 high-risk
Dudley
6 municipalities · 4 high-risk
Dumfries and Galloway
18 municipalities · 1 high-risk
Dundee City
1 municipalities
East Ayrshire
22 municipalities · 1 high-risk
East Dunbartonshire
9 municipalities
East Lothian
15 municipalities · 5 high-risk
East Renfrewshire
9 municipalities · 3 high-risk
East Riding of Yorkshire
101 municipalities · 1 high-risk
East Sussex
39 municipalities · 6 high-risk
Eilean Siar
6 municipalities
Essex
99 municipalities
Falkirk
25 municipalities
Fife
51 municipalities · 2 high-risk
Gateshead
7 municipalities
Glasgow City
2 municipalities
Gloucestershire
51 municipalities · 28 high-risk
Greater London
166 municipalities · 1 high-risk
Gwynedd
31 municipalities · 10 high-risk
Hampshire
78 municipalities · 6 high-risk
Hartlepool
3 municipalities
Herefordshire
64 municipalities · 11 high-risk
Hertfordshire
79 municipalities · 3 high-risk
Highland
35 municipalities · 10 high-risk
Inverclyde
6 municipalities · 2 high-risk
Isle of Wight
24 municipalities
Isles of Scilly
3 municipalities · 3 high-risk
Kent
111 municipalities · 18 high-risk
Kirklees
24 municipalities · 4 high-risk
Knowsley
6 municipalities
Lancashire
75 municipalities · 19 high-risk
Leicestershire
67 municipalities · 3 high-risk
Lincolnshire
89 municipalities · 21 high-risk
Liverpool
15 municipalities
Luton
1 municipalities
Manchester
3 municipalities
Medway
13 municipalities · 3 high-risk
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough
5 municipalities · 3 high-risk
Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
10 municipalities
Middlesbrough
2 municipalities
Midlothian
10 municipalities · 2 high-risk
Milton Keynes
29 municipalities
Monmouthshire
19 municipalities · 10 high-risk
Moray
16 municipalities · 4 high-risk
Neath Port Talbot
15 municipalities · 8 high-risk
Newcastle upon Tyne
6 municipalities
Newport
10 municipalities · 4 high-risk
Norfolk
85 municipalities · 5 high-risk
North Ayrshire
18 municipalities · 4 high-risk
North East Lincolnshire
11 municipalities
North Lanarkshire
33 municipalities
North Lincolnshire
32 municipalities · 10 high-risk
North Northamptonshire
26 municipalities · 23 high-risk
North Somerset
26 municipalities · 15 high-risk
North Tyneside
7 municipalities
North Yorkshire
65 municipalities · 18 high-risk
Northumberland
69 municipalities · 23 high-risk
Nottingham
3 municipalities
Nottinghamshire
57 municipalities · 5 high-risk
Orkney Islands
2 municipalities · 2 high-risk
Oxfordshire
57 municipalities · 14 high-risk
Pembrokeshire
38 municipalities · 33 high-risk
Perth and Kinross
24 municipalities · 2 high-risk
Peterborough
18 municipalities · 7 high-risk
Plymouth
3 municipalities · 2 high-risk
Portsmouth
2 municipalities
Reading
1 municipalities
Redcar and Cleveland
14 municipalities · 1 high-risk
Renfrewshire
13 municipalities · 3 high-risk
Rhondda Cynon Taf
26 municipalities · 17 high-risk
Rotherham
19 municipalities
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
17 municipalities
Sandwell
7 municipalities · 1 high-risk
Sefton
9 municipalities
Sheffield
8 municipalities · 1 high-risk
Shetland Islands
3 municipalities · 1 high-risk
Shropshire
54 municipalities · 22 high-risk
Sir Powys
26 municipalities · 19 high-risk
Slough
4 municipalities
Solihull
14 municipalities · 1 high-risk
Somerset
52 municipalities · 23 high-risk
South Ayrshire
10 municipalities
South Gloucestershire
25 municipalities · 15 high-risk
South Lanarkshire
24 municipalities · 1 high-risk
South Tyneside
6 municipalities
Southampton
2 municipalities
Southend-on-Sea
3 municipalities
St. Helens
9 municipalities · 3 high-risk
Staffordshire
49 municipalities · 2 high-risk
Stirling
14 municipalities · 3 high-risk
Stockton-on-Tees
9 municipalities · 2 high-risk
Stoke-on-Trent
3 municipalities · 1 high-risk
Suffolk
56 municipalities
Sunderland
6 municipalities
Surrey
97 municipalities · 2 high-risk
Telford and Wrekin
11 municipalities · 2 high-risk
The Scottish Borders
19 municipalities · 6 high-risk
Torfaen County Borough
5 municipalities · 3 high-risk
Trafford
11 municipalities
Vale of Glamorgan
10 municipalities · 8 high-risk
Walsall
8 municipalities · 4 high-risk
Warrington
13 municipalities
Warwickshire
40 municipalities · 6 high-risk
West Berkshire
23 municipalities
West Dunbartonshire
11 municipalities · 2 high-risk
West Lothian
19 municipalities · 1 high-risk
West Northamptonshire
30 municipalities · 14 high-risk
West Sussex
61 municipalities · 10 high-risk
Wiltshire
105 municipalities · 9 high-risk
Wokingham
15 municipalities · 1 high-risk
Wolverhampton
3 municipalities · 1 high-risk
Worcestershire
34 municipalities · 2 high-risk
Wrexham
11 municipalities · 8 high-risk
Regulations & obligations
Dwellings
Action level 200 Bq/m³ recommended by UKHSA (not legally binding). Homeowners advised to take action if exceeded.
Workplaces
Legal reference level 300 Bq/m³ for workplaces (IRR 2017). Mandatory action required if exceeded: assessment, advice, reduction measures.
Public buildings & schools
Public buildings in radon affected areas should conduct measurements. Action level 200 Bq/m³.
New construction
Building Regulations (Approved Document C) require radon protection measures in radon affected areas: barriers in moderate risk areas, barriers + sump + pipe in high risk areas.
Professional services
RPA
Radiation Protection Advisers
HSE-recognized via RPA2000 accreditation, required under IRR 2017 for radiological protection advice
Accredited by: RPA2000
UKHSA Approved Radon Measurement Organizations
UKHSA-approved services for domestic and workplace radon testing
Accredited by: UKHSA
UKRA
UK Radon Association Members
Professional association members adhering to UKRA Code of Ethics for radon testing and mitigation
Accredited by: UKRA
Radon Mitigation Contractors
Contractors for radon mitigation system installation following PHE and HSE standards
How radon is measured in United Kingdom
Each country has its own official measurement protocol. Here is how radon testing works according to the national guidelines.
Measurement method
CR-39 alpha-track detectors (passive)
Minimum duration
At least 3 months
Recommended season
Any time of year (seasonal correction factor applied)
Detector placement
2 detectors per home: 1 in main living room and 1 in main bedroom, ground floor
Laboratory requirements
UKAS-accredited laboratory (UKHSA radon services)
Reference standard: PHE-CRCE-043 · Building Regulations (Approved Document C); IRR 2017
How to test for radon yourself
Regardless of where you live, testing for radon is easy and affordable. A long-term measurement with passive detectors is the most reliable way to know your indoor radon level.
Learn how to testMajor Cities
London
8,961,989 inhabitants
Birmingham
1,157,603 inhabitants
Glasgow
626,410 inhabitants
Manchester
568,996 inhabitants
Sheffield
556,500 inhabitants
Leeds
536,280 inhabitants
Edinburgh
514,990 inhabitants
Liverpool
496,770 inhabitants
Bristol
479,024 inhabitants
Cardiff
372,089 inhabitants
Leicester
368,600 inhabitants
Bradford
366,187 inhabitants
Belfast
348,005 inhabitants
Coventry
345,324 inhabitants
Birkenhead
325,264 inhabitants
Nottingham
323,632 inhabitants
Islington
319,143 inhabitants
Reading
318,014 inhabitants
Kingston upon Hull
314,018 inhabitants
Preston
313,332 inhabitants