Thames Water is lobbying for greater fines for people and organisations which take water without permission.
The company pursues hundreds of illegal uses of standpipes and misconnections each year in which offenders use thousands of litres daily without authorisation.
Thames’ illegal connections manager Claire Rumens told Utility Week that she wants to see greater penalties for those who illegally use standpipes.
The maximum fine courts can hand out is currently capped at £1,000 per offence, and can be reduced by one-third for an early guilty plea.
“I would like bigger fines in court,” Rumens said. “The average standpipe is £1,500 to hire for the year. I want to see fines increased to a level that is a deterrent.”
She added: “We have to look after our network. With population increases and the changing climate, every drop of water is precious so we have to look after it.
“Looking after it includes making sure people aren’t taking water without permission; and if it is taken we want to make sure it’s compliant with the water regulations.”
The unaccounted for water is categorised as leakage, which impacts water companies’ targets to reduce the amount of water lost to leaks.
In 2022/23, Thames lost 24% of the 2.6 billion litres it supplies to leaky pipes and unaccounted consumption.
While Thames can not put a figure on the amount lost to illegal connections, it has uncovered 870 illegal standpipe connections – the highest rate among English and Welsh companies, and administered 96 prosecutions since 2017.
More than 500 retrospective charges have been also issued by Thames since 2017 for first offences. Rumens said the majority of cases are resolved without the need for escalation but prosecutions can be pursued.
“We will always look to work with individuals and companies to educate and reduce the risk of re-offending,” she said.
Standpipes can be hired from Thames’ and its authorised service provider but many are used without correct authorisation and the amount of water used quickly adds up.
Rumens explained that enormous amounts of water can quickly be taken from standpipes without authorisation.
For example, a road sweeper requires 35,000 litres of water to fill – equivalent to the average consumption of 240 customers.
As well as the loss of water, there is a risk to the network, Rumens explained, because standpipes do not always have a non-return valve, which means there can be a risk of contamination from backflow to the clean supply.
Bellway Homes was recently fined for illegally connecting to supplies at two of its property developments, in Taplow and Greenhithe. It was ordered to pay £10,115 for repeated unauthorised use of standpipes in 2023, a year in which its profits topped £485 million.