McFadden Utilities and Amara Land Limited were found guilty of 24 offences after illegally hooking up properties to Thames Water’s clean water supply network.
The offences, which took place over the past two years at three north London developments, involved negligent work and incorrect measurements of recorded water use.
Thames Water’s illegal connection team discovered that McFadden Utilities had unlawfully installed connections to the network at 133 Chase Road, now Melrose Mews, and 63-65 Bramley Road, Southgate, now Serenity Close.
The manner of installation was deemed below acceptable industry standards, resulting in erroneous water measurements.
Similarly, Amara Land Limited was found to have installed an unacceptable connection at Serenity Close and a new housing development in Hendon, known as Garrick Way.
The companies have been ordered to pay a combined total of £31,888 for their illegal activities.
Unauthorised connections compromise the clean water network and result in unpaid consumption.
With climate change and population growth putting increasing pressure on water resources, Thames Water is resolute in its action against illegal connections.
Claire Rumens, Thames Water’s illegal connections manager, said: “Our work to find and stop illegal connections helps us to uncover offences, 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.”
Since 2014, Thames Water’s illegal connection team has been referred over 10,000 illegal connection allegations, many of which have been prosecuted, resulting in Thames Water being awarded £365,000 in costs from offending companies.
This covers the cost of the investigations, ensuring that this essential work continues to provide clean and waste water services to around 16 million customers across London and the Thames Valley.
