Water thefts costing Yorkshire Water millions

BUSINESSES illegally tapping into fire and third-party hydrants are costing Yorkshire Water millions of litres in lost water, the company has claimed.

Yorkshire Water estimates it is presently losing up to 20m 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 (July), with an estimated 25m 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.

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.

Melanie Dawson, who manages Yorkshire Water’s standpipe scheme, said: “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 worse can affect thousands of people.”

Ian Bitcon, senior operations officer for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said fire hydrants provide back up to appliances during major incidents.