Water thieves 'put lives at risk'

BUSINESSES are draining the equivalent of eight Olympic swimming pools by illegally tapping into fire and third-party hydrants, according to Yorkshire Water.

The company says the practice is costing it millions of litres in lost water - and putting lives at risk by jeopardising firefighters' ability to tackle blazes.

Yorkshire Water estimates it is currently losing up to 20 million litres of

water every month – equivalent to the average daily water consumption

of 142,857 customers or the same volume of water contained in eight

Olympic swimming pools - as a result of such activity.

The unusually dry conditions experienced across much of the region over

the last few months, coupled with the challenging operating conditions

many businesses now face, appears to have exacerbated the problem, with

water theft in the region predicted to have reached an all time high

last month with an estimated 25 million litres of water likely

to have been illegally siphoned from hydrants over just 31 days.

However, whilst the amount of water illegally abstracted from hydrants

is rapidly growing, the company has seen a big drop in the number of

reported incidents of such abuse – indicating that either many

incidents are going unreported or that a smaller number of hydrant

abusers are illegally obtaining ever larger quantities of water.

Between January and July 2010, Yorkshire Water has had reports of 78

separate incidents of hydrant abuse, compared with last year when 207

incidents were reported.

In South Yorkshire there have been a total of 23 reported cases of

hydrant abuse with  five in Rotherham, 12 in Sheffield and three each in Doncaster and Barnsley.

"Cases in Sheffield include a demolition company who illegally tapped

into a fire hydrant on Errington Crescent to abstract water to suppress

dust on a work site," said Melanie Dawson, manager of Yorkshire Water’s

standpipe scheme.

"As the company was using a regulation equipment and in possession of a

licence, we decided not to prosecute but just to issue them with an

official caution and advise them on the error of their ways."

Many companies - from window cleaners through to road sweepers and

drain jetters - need access to water to be able to carry out their work

and do this legally by using standpipes which comply with the necessary

regulations.

This gives them the right to access the plentiful supply of wash out

hydrants, which are clearly marked by the letters ‘WO’. Fire hydrants

– which are clearly marked with the letters ‘FH’ – should only ever be

used by the emergency services and not by anybody else.

Businesses illegally accessing both third party and fire hydrants

without the proper equipment or permission risk not only damaging the

hydrant – and thus endangering liives - but also potentially

causing discolouration to the public water supply or even

disruptions to water supplies.

Melanie Dawson, who manages Yorkshire Water’s standpipe scheme,

comments: “At a time when most people are doing their bit to conserve

water, it’s shocking to think that the actions of a small minority of

illegal operators are costing the region millions of litres in lost or

wasted water.

“From previous cases of hydrant abuse, we know that most businesses

that are caught know that they are in the wrong. However, the

temptation to save money during these difficult economic times, along

with the fact that water is in high demand following the driest sprint

and summer in decades, has meant that many businesses continue to tap

into hydrants without a licence or the correct equipment.

“We want them to know that their actions can have extremely serious

consequences. Not only do they risk damaging fire hydrants, and

consequently endangering human lives, but their actions can also lead

to water discolouration or even temporary loss of supply – which at its

worst can affect thousands of people."

.

In the last eight months Yorkshire Water has successfully prosecuted

five businesses found to be illegally tapping into fire or third-party

hydrants, with offenders receiving a maximum £1,000 fine per offence

plus legal costs. It has also issued more than two dozen cautions to businesses across the region in the past

year.

Businesses are required to use a metered standpipe which is no more

than an inch in diameter. It is estimated that someone using an

illegal three-inch standpipe could abstract about 1,000 litres of water

in less than a minute.

Members of the public should report any instances where they suspect

illegal use of the water supply to contact Yorkshire Water on 01274

804457.

Businesses wishing to know more about the regulations can also

call this number. Regulated metered standpipes can be obtained only

through Yorkshire Water at an annual cost of £567 +VAT or just £16.50

+VAT a week. Users then pay for any water they extract on a monthly

basis.