ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

A street cleaning company kept stealing water despite being fined almost £20,000, it is being claimed.

London-based road sweeping company Kilgannon Street Care has been hit with fines and costs of £19,600 after repeatedly connecting to unauthorised and unlicensed standpipes. Thames Water has prosecuted Kilgannon for 26 offences since 2017.

The water company says it has a dedicated team of investigators who seek out illegal standpipe connections. According to Thames Water, such connections could compromise the cleanliness of the water supply.

The prosecutions come just a few months after another street cleaning company, Go Plant, also failed to stop stealing water despite multiple prosecutions.

In May this year it was reported that Go Plant had been fined £52,000 over five years for repeatedly connecting unauthorised standpipes to hydrants. Yet despite being prosecuted several times - and pleas to desist from Thames Water bosses - the company continued with its practices.

According to a Thames Water spokesperson: "We met with the company twice - in 2022 and 2023 - to encourage them to comply with the rules but they continued to connect to the water supply network illegally."

According to Thames Water, Go Plant was charged with 40 offences for connecting to the water supply since 2019. The company has since gone into administration.

The cost to hire standpipe from Thames Water is £36.50 per business week, excluding the water licence fee. a year. The maximum fine that courts can impose for an illegal connection is £1,000 - and this can be reduced by a third for an early guilty plea.