A HALESOWEN paver equipment hire firm found themselves in hot water when handed a bill for almost £3,000 after being caught illegally using a hydrant.

Severn Trent won its case against Pro Tech Pavers Ltd, of Fountain House, Great Cornbow, at Coventry Magistrates Court on Wednesday (December 6).

The Halesowen-based firm – one of 37 across the country which have been prosecuted by the water company since the start of 2016 – were ordered to pay £2,993.34 for the offence, which was carried out earlier this year in Coventry.

Dan Littlewood, from Severn Trent, said: “We hope this prosecution shows companies that we take illegal hydrant extremely seriously, and that we will prosecute them where we can.

“It’s simply not fair to our customers to have their water affected because some companies believe they’re above the law.

“We don’t want our customer’s to have murky or even no water at all.

“It’s also important to remember that the fire and rescue service also relies on our hydrants being available in an emergency and people using them illegally can result in the hydrants breaking and, if that happens, it could put lives at risk.”

Bromsgrove Advertiser:

Severn Trent has also written more than 150 warning letters to firms that have been caught illegally using hydrants.