The Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006

Entry etc. for other purposes

231.—(1) Any person designated in writing for the purpose by a water undertaker may enter any premises for any of the following purposes, that is to say—

(a) the carrying out of any survey or tests for the purpose of determining—

(i) whether it is appropriate and practicable for the undertaker to exercise any power under any provision of Part IV to disconnect any pipe or cut off any supply of water to any premises or to carry out any works which it is authorised to carry out under Article 104(5), 106(3) or 115; or

(ii) how any such power should be exercised;

(b) the exercise of any such power;

(c) the monitoring and recording of—

(i) whether water supplied to any premises for domestic or food production purposes is wholesome at the time of supply; or

(ii) the quality of the water from any source, or combination of sources, which is or is to be used for supplying water to any premises for those purposes,

and the carrying out of any tests for that purpose.

(2) Any person designated for the purpose—

(a) by any water undertaker within whose area any waterworks are situated; or

(b) by any water undertaker which takes water from any waterworks,

shall, on producing some duly authenticated document showing his authority, have a right at all reasonable hours to enter any premises for the purpose of ascertaining whether there is, or has been, any contravention of Article 112 in relation to those waterworks.

(3) Any person designated in writing for the purpose by a water undertaker may—

(a) enter any premises for the purpose of—

(i) ascertaining whether any provision contained in or made or having effect under this Order with respect to any water fittings or with respect to the waste or misuse or undue consumption of water is being, or has been, contravened;

(ii) determining whether, and if so in what manner, any power or duty conferred or imposed on any person by regulations under Article 114 should be exercised or performed; or

(iii) exercising any such power or performing any such duty; or

(b) carry out such inspections, measurements and tests on premises entered by that person or on water fittings or other articles found on any such premises, and take away such samples of water or of any land and such water fittings and other articles, as that person has been authorised to carry out or take away in accordance with regulations under that Article.

(4) During any period when a prohibition or restriction under Article 116 is in force, any person designated for the purpose by the water undertaker which imposed the prohibition or restriction shall, on producing some duly authenticated document showing his authority, have a right at all reasonable hours to enter any premises to which the prohibition or restriction applies for the purpose of ascertaining whether there is, or has been, any contravention of the prohibition or restriction.

(5) The power by virtue of paragraph (1) of a person designated by a water undertaker to enter any premises for the purpose of carrying out any survey or tests shall include power to take away such samples of water or effluent or of any land or articles as the undertaker—

(a) considers necessary for the purpose of determining any of the matters mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) or (c) of that paragraph; and

(b) has authorised that person to carry out or take away.

(6) Expressions used in this Article and in any provision of Part IV in relation to which this Article has effect shall have the same meaning in this Article as in that provision; and, without prejudice to the generality of this provision, paragraphs (2) and (3) of Article 108 and the definitions of “food production purposes” and “wholesome” in Article 136(1) shall apply for the purposes of any power conferred by virtue of paragraph (1)(c)(i) as they apply for the purposes of that Article.

(7) Part I of Schedule 4 shall apply to the rights of entry conferred by paragraphs (2) and (4); and Part II of that Schedule shall apply to the rights and powers conferred by the other provisions of this Article.

(8) The provisions of this Article shall be without prejudice to the other rights and powers conferred by this Part.