Thames Water fined for over-abstraction
Thames Water has been fined £5,000 with costs of £700 for breaching abstraction licence conditions, contrary to section 24 of the Water Resources Act 1991. Hertford magistrates heard that the firm exceeded by up to 24% its daily abstraction limit from an aquifer beneath its pumping station at Ware, Hertfordshire. Inspection of the company's records showed that over-abstraction occurred over two weeks in September 1998.