South West Water wins case against Cornish firms

South West Water has successfully prosecuted two Cornish businesses for illegally taking water from its network.

South West Water’s customers are allowed to use its standpipe hire service to access the water supply and only authorised standpipes can be connected to its infrastructure at approved locations 

However, Bodmin Magistrates Court found two companies guilty of unauthorised use of hydrants 

GP Wherry, a drainage consultant, was found to have used an unauthorised standpipe to access the water supply via a hydrant in Roche last year without South West’s permission. Similarly, earlier this year, road surfacing contractors, E Roberts Contractors Ltd used an unauthorised standpipe to access the water supply via a hydrant in Trelowth. 

South West Water said: “Connecting unauthorised standpipes to our network is an issue we take very seriously. It creates a potential risk to water quality, which could result in public health issues, and could damage our infrastructure. It can also interfere with our operations or fire service activities. We monitor the use of our network closely and will take action against anyone who is detected making unauthorised use of a standpipe.” 

Both companies were fined £1,500, while E Roberts Contractors was also ordered to pay costs of £1,500 and GP Wherry costs of £1,900.