Thames Water is clamping down on illegal water connections, with professional cleaning services company, JM Clark Ltd, enforced to pay £29,000 in fines and costs for repeatedly connecting unauthorised and unlicenced standpipes since 2018.
The company have been prosecuted on three sperate occasions for 33 offences, including at Reading Magistrates Court on 2 August 2019, at Reading Magistrates Court on 23 September 2022 and most recently at Oxford Magistrates Court on 5 July 2024.
Thames Water met with JM Clark in 2018 to encourage them to comply with the rules. In addition, following the prosecution in 2022, they were given a 3 month period to review their standpipe usage but during this time the company committed 4 more offences and continued to connect to the water supply illegally.
Unauthorised connections can compromise the integrity of the clean water network when offenders do not pay for their connections, or the water consumed. With climate change and population growth putting a strain on water resources, Thames Water is taking action against those who illegally connect to its clean water mains.
Since 2017 more than 400 separate offences were uncovered and prosecuted and over 550 retrospective charges have been issued for first offences. In total the business has recouped £490,000 in the last seven years which is then reinvested back into crucial work to provide clean and wastewater services to around 16 million customers across London and the Thames Valley.
Claire Rumens, Thames Water’s illegal connections manager, said: “Our work to find and stop illegal connections helps us to uncover hundreds of offences and save millions of litres in water and uphold our statutory obligation to protect, control and maintain our clean water network.
“As we ask our customers to use water wisely and have engineers working around the clock to find and fix leaks, we are also doing our part to stop illegal connections to our water supply. We will always look to work with individuals and companies to educate and reduce the risk of re-offending.”
Thames Water Utilities Ltd (TWUL) have the right to prosecute all offences but may offer a one-off retrospective charge for a non-aggravated standpipe first offence. Standpipes can be hired from Thames Water’s authorised service provider.
