News
Fire Hydrant Information
We are probably all aware of the existence of fire hydrants but do you know where the nearest hydrant is in relation to your property?
Fire hydrants play an important role in the protection of your community. In normal circumstances they are only used by official water company or fire service personnel for testing and maintenance. It is only in the event of a fire that we tend to really consider how valuable they are.
By their awareness our customers can help us and the fire service maintain this protection. Please report any visible damage to either the hydrant or marker post/plate to us on 01202 590059. A typical hydrant installation is shown below.
Use of water from hydrants
We operate a standpipe hire and licensing scheme for businesses and individuals (other than the fire and rescue services) who wish to draw water from one of our hydrants. Only licensed users are permitted to use a hydrant in this way, all other use is illegal. Under Section 59 of the Water Industry Act 1991 such unauthorised use is a prosecutable offence. Illegal use of a hydrant can also cause one or more of the following adverse effects:
- Contamination of the water supply
- Discoloured water
- Reduction in pressure of supplies
- Damage to apparatus
- Adjacent mains failure due to pressure surging
- Interruption to supply
Certain businesses, such as street cleaning or drain cleaning, require water to be taken from our mains network into a water tank where it is held for use. Commonly, these businesses draw water using a standpipe fixed to a hydrant and these must be licensed in the manner described above for them to do so.
Any damage caused to the hydrant installation by unauthorised users can, in some cases, render the hydrant inoperable. The consequences of this are only too obvious in the event of an emergency situation necessitating fire service use of the hydrant.
If you see a suspected illegal user please contact us on 01202 590059. We will always investigate any calls regarding suspected illegal hydrant use.
Fire Hydrant Information (100kb PDF)
