The Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors (APHC) and Severn Trent Water have joined together to pilot a scheme where WaterSafe-approved contractors can directly report any high-risk work to the relevant water company.
Upon receiving a high-risk work report, Severn Trent Water will inspect the work and will have the statutory power to ensure contraventions are addressed, as water companies are responsible for enforcing the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations that apply to plumbing in premises within their area of operation.
John Thompson, CEO of APHC, commented:
“Plumbing contractors do not currently have an effective means of reporting high-risk defective installations in properties, which inhibits potential enforcement actions and also fails to address companies persistently breaching the requirements of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999.
“We believe there is a unique opportunity through the WaterSafe initiative to bring plumbing contractors and water companies together, to better tackle the issue of high-risk defective work.”
The pilot project is currently being run through a select number of APHC and WaterMark plumbers operating in the Severn Trent Area and the project will conclude later in the year. At the end of the pilot period, it is anticipated that, if successful, a full reporting arrangement will be rolled out across all WaterSafe scheme operators and water companies.