News

Severn Trent successfully prosecuted a Derbyshire-based company today for illegal hydrant use in Nottingham.

Colson Transport Ltd, based in Heanor, Derbyshire was prosecuted at Coventry Magistrates Court for two offences of illegal hydrant use in Nottingham.

The company has already been prosecuted for the same offence in 2016, and today was ordered to pay £4,823.40 after being caught again this year. 

Dan Littlewood, from Severn Trent, said: “We hope this company’s second prosecution for illegal hydrant use is enough to put them off trying to make it a hat-trick. Hopefully now they realise just how seriously we take this and stops them from trying it again. 

“It’s our customers who have their water affected because of the actions of companies believing they’re above the law. It’s not fair that people may have murky or even no water at all because of this. Whether it’s for cooking, cleaning or just having a cup of tea, it’s important that water is always there when you need it. 

“It’s also important to remember that the Fire and Rescue service also relies on our hydrants being available in an emergency, and people using them illegally can result in the hydrants breaking and, if that happens, it could put lives at risk.”

Since the start of 2016 Severn Trent has successfully prosecuted 39 companies and written more than 160 warning letters to firms that have been caught illegally using hydrants.

“To make it easier to spot those using our hydrants illegally, we’ve teamed up with Aquam Water Services,” said Dan. “This now means all of our authorised standpipes are painted bright green and feature the Severn Trent and Aquam logos. So, if anyone sees our hydrants being used by someone using anything other than a bright green standpipe, please let us know.”

If anyone sees someone they believe is using an illegal standpipe from a Severn Trent hydrant:

•    Don’t approach them;

•    Note down where they are and when it is;

•    Make a note of the company name;

•    Take a picture showing the vehicle and the standpipe attached if you can do it safely; and then

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

In addition to the new standpipes, Severn Trent has also been busy fitting tens of thousands of new locking caps to hydrants which can only be unlocked with special equipment. To date, more than 30,000 caps have been fitted across the network.  This should put an end to people using and opening the hydrants without permission, making water supplies across the region much more secure.

Dan added: “Illegal hydrant use is one of the major causes of discoloured water in the Severn Trent region as the draw of water through the hydrant can disturb harmless sediment that normally sits at the bottom of the pipe.  If customers do ever experience their water being discoloured, simply run the first mains fed tap at a gentle rate for 20 minutes and the water should clear.  You may need to do this a few times to completely clear the water.  It’s nothing to worry about, and this simple advice may avoid the need for you to call us.”