Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/971076
www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | MAY 2018 | 17 • COMPLAINTS & PROSECUTIONS S evern Trent stepped up its campaign against water the in 2016 and its zero-tolerance stance has seen the company prosecute 46 cases, formally caution 29 and formally warn 168 companies. Dan Littlewood, senior water regulations technician at Severn Trent Water, believes the problem is "massive". He says: "These companies and individuals are taking the water without prior consent, without measurement. "We don't know what they're taking and obviously they're not paying for it. But the more serious issue, as we see it, is the problems the physical "They are taking water without consent, without measurement, without payment… and causing problems in the network." Severn Trent senior water regulations technician Dan Littlewood (le ) with Peter Sutton from Aquam Water Services Ltd use causes to our network and to our customers. That is directly causing things like discolouration, loss of supply to customers – even as far as causing bursts and leaks on the main. "Illegal users are not trained, they're not aware of the way they need to use the network, and they cause what we call 'transient surges', when they open or close the hydrants or the washouts too quickly. That leads to a transfer of energy that can cause bursts, and the back-and-forth flow disturbs the sediment that usually sits on the bottom of the main, causing discoloration." Littlewood says the impact of illegal use has a tendency to prompt "clusters" of complaints. "What we describe as a serious issue is anything over three complaints," he says. "These incidents, if they happen in residential areas, can mean up to 40 complaints for discolouration, loss of supplies. Sometimes I've seen it affect multiple streets within residential areas – not just the street where the water the happens." Severn Trent has sought to tackle water the through a variety of means, including 'Hydrant Heroes' – a project to educate all staff within the company on illegal hydrant use and ensure they report