 Tests undertaken both before the purchase, and in 1979, had demonstrated that the water was safe for public consumption.During the late 1970s, concerns were expressed about the presence of perchloroethene (PCE) in water, and as a result a European Directive was issued in 1980 requiring nations of the European Community to establish maximum acceptable levels of PCE in water; the United Kingdom did this in 1982.PCE was discovered in the borehole; it was not tested for earlier because there was no need to regulate the levels.