A FIRM which illegally took water from a fire hydrant in Leamington has been ordered to pay nearly £5,000 after being prosecuted.
Wilkinson Environmental, based in Carlyon Industrial Estate in Atherstone, pleaded guilty to five offences of illegal hydrant use after being caught by a passer-by taking water illegally in Leamington, Shifnal, Kidderminster, and Redditch.
Severn Trent prosecuted the firm company which was ordered to pay a total of £4,782, made up of a £1,742 fine, £3,000 in costs and a £40 victim surcharge.
Severn Trent spokesman Dan Littlewood said: “Not only did this company illegally use our hydrants, they also removed a locking cap that stops people from using them, so they knew they shouldn’t be doing it – hopefully after landing in court, they won’t be doing it again.
“Our customers pay for their water, so companies should too. Not only are they not paying for it, they’re also potentially making our water murky or even stopping our customers from getting supplies. These companies are not trained to use our hydrants properly, which also puts people at risk in emergencies, as the fire and rescue services relies on our hydrants and, if they’re broken, it could have serious consequences.”
Since the start of 2016 Severn Trent has successfully prosecuted over 50 companies and written more than 160 warning letters to firms caught illegally using hydrants.
Mr Littlewood added: “Whether it’s for cooking, cleaning or just having a cup of tea, it’s really important that water’s there when you need it. So we’ve made it easy to spot those using our hydrants illegally by teaming up with Aquam Water Services.
“This now means all of our authorised standpipes are painted bright green and feature the Severn Trent and Aquam logos.”
Anyone who sees the hydrants being used by someone using anything other than a bright green standpipe is urged to contact Severn Trent.
Visit www.stwater.co.uk for further details.
