A CLEANING services company from Astwood Bank has been told it must pay more than £1,500 for taking water from a hydrant without authorisation.

Cleanse A Drive Ltd, which provides cleaning services to the commercial, public and residential sectors, was found guilty on December 20 last year by Dudley Magistrates Court of illegally taking water from a hydrant through unauthorised use of a standpipe (a vertical pipe extending from a water supply).

The incident happened on Lowercroft Way in Sutton Coldfield on June 20 2017

The company has been ordered by magistrates to pay South Staffs Water £1,500 in costs and a £50 victim surcharge.

Mike Morris, from South Staffs Water, said: "Providing a safe and reliable water supply to our customers is our number one priority.

"Illegal connections to the water distribution network risk causing disruption to that supply by creating problems with both pressure and quality.

"We hope this successful prosecution sends a powerful message that we exercise a zero tolerance policy when it comes taking water from a hydrant illegally. Only authorised standpipes, operated correctly and safely by trained personnel, should ever be used.”