News

Severn Trent has successfully prosecuted a company based in Newark, after it was caught using hydrants illegally with an incorrect standpipe.

Jordan Road Surfacing Ltd, based on Bowbridge Road, Newark, Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to three offences at Leicester Magistrates court, and has now been ordered to pay £5075. A total made up of the three fines at £750 each, £2750 in costs and a £75 victim surcharge. 

The company was caught by a Severn Trent engineer who was in the Rutland area of Leicestershire investigating a report of murky water, which had been caused by the company’s actions.

Dan Littlewood, from Severn Trent, said: “Not only did this company illegally access the network and take water without paying for it – they caused our customers to have murky water. Luckily, we had an engineer in the area who was looking into the cause for the customer and caught the company and reported it, helping to hopefully prevent this from happening again.

“This company’s actions not only directly caused problems to the water supply, but by accessing the hydrants without proper training, they could have damaged them. This can cause real problems for the fire service in the event of an emergency if they’re unable to use the hydrant properly, and could lead to devastating consequences.”

Since the start of this year, Severn Trent has successfully prosecuted more than 80 companies and sent more than 190 warning letters to firms that have been caught illegally using hydrants. 

Dan added that Severn Trent is making it easier to spot illegal hydrants with all authorised standpipes now painted bright green and featuring the Severn Trent logo.

“We never want our customers water supplies to be at risk, so we’re really working hard to crack down on illegal hydrant use,” adds Dan. “We want to make sure our customers water is always there when they need it so we want businesses to use approved standpipes and work with us to have the proper training they need access to our hydrants correctly and legally.”

If anyone sees someone they believe is using an illegal standpipe from a Severn Trent hydrant, the company has also issued the following advice:

•    Don’t approach them;

•    Note down the location and the date;

•    Make a note of the company name if possible;

•    Take a picture showing the vehicle and the standpipe attached if it can be done safely;

•    Send the details to waterregulations@severntrent.co.uk 

Any company needing to discuss their site water supply can email Dan and the team through waterregulations@severntrent.co.uk.