Water company
Incidents and Prosecutions
Water Company Incidents and Prosecutions for 1998 to 2001
When the DWI Drinking Water 1999 report was launched in July 2000, it was stated that we would keep the Incidents and Prosecutions table updated. (Table found on page 151 of Drinking Water 2001).
This table gives the number of prosecutions, which have taken place following DWI’s investigation of incidents, which occurred from, 1998 to 2001. It also shows the number of cases pending court and the number of incidents that are still under consideration as at 31 March 2001. In studying the numbers it is important to take into account the following:
The number of the incidents occurring can be expressed to be proportional to the size of the Water Company and particularly the length of the distribution system.
Most of the incidents are minor events affecting a small number of consumers
Many of the incidents occur for reasons outside the control of water companies, e.g. A burst main caused by ground movement.
Prosecution cases take at least a year to get to Court so they do not necessarily reflect the position today.
Below you will find the figures for the quarter ending 31 December 2001. The figures will only relate to the original number of incidents reported in the table on 31 March 2001. This will be the case until the DWI Drinking Water 2001 report will be issued in July 2002.
Water Company Incidents and Prosecutions 1998–2001
| Water company | Population supplied | Km of mains | No of incidents notified in year | Prosecutions (cautions) completed in year | Court cases pending at 31/03/02 | Incidents still under investigation as at 31/03/02 | ||||||
| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | [+] Pre 2001 | ||||
| Anglian | 4,100,000 | 35,995 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 14 | - | 2 | - | 1 | 0 | 2[+1] |
| Bristol | 1,086,000 | 6,500 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 1 |
| Bournemouth & W Hants | 432,000 | 2,800 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| Cambridge | 291,700 | 2,194 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| Dee Valley | 257,100 | 1,953 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| Dwr Cymru | 2,800,000 | 24,900 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 3 | - | - | 1 | 0 | 2[+3] |
| Essex & Suffolk | 1,700,000 | 8,370 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| Folkestone & Dover | 162,000 | 1,068 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| Hartlepool | 91,000 | 513 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| Mid Kent | 571,800 | 4,167 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | - | - | 1 | 1(1) | 0 | 1 |
| Northumbrian | 2,600,000 | 16,687 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 21 | 1 | - | (1) | - | 0 | 1 |
| Portsmouth | 647,000 | 3,200 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 2 |
| Severn Trent | 7,360,000 | 41,000 | 9 | 20 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 0 | 1[+1] |
| South East | 1,400,000 | 9,078 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| South Staffs | 1,200,000 | 5,788 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| South West | 1,500,000 | 15,000 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | - | 2 | - | - | 0 | 1 |
| Southern | 2,220,000 | 13,327 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 2 |
| Sutton & East Surrey | 634,000 | 3,374 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | - | (1) | - | 0 | 1 |
| Tendring Hundred | 145,000 | 930 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| Thames | 7,900,000 | 31,600 | 9 | 13 | 7 | 7 | - | 1 | - | - | 0 | 1 |
| Three Valleys | 2,900,000 | 13,500 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 11 | - | - | (1) | - | 0 | 0 |
| United Utilities | 6,800,000 | 42,200 | 34 | 27 | 16 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3(4) | - | 0 | 0[+2] |
| Wessex | 1,200,000 | 10,800 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | (1) | - | (1) | - | 0 | 1 |
| Yorkshire | 4,710,000 | 31,000 | 15 | 27 | 16 | 12 | 1(1) | - | 4 | 1(4) | 0 | 3[+9] |
| TOTAL | 52,707.600 | 325,944 | 124 | 166 | 139 | 138 | 9(2) | 10(0) | 8(8) | 4(5) | 0 | 19[+16] |
