76.—(1) It shall be the duty of a water undertaker (in accordance with Article 78) to provide a water main to be used for providing such supplies of water to premises in a particular locality in its area as (so far as those premises are concerned) are sufficient for domestic purposes, if—
(a)the undertaker is required to provide the main by a notice served on the undertaker by one or more of the persons who under paragraph (2) are entitled to require the provision of the main for that locality;
(b)the premises in that locality to which those supplies would be provided by means of that main are—
(i)premises consisting in buildings or parts of buildings; or
(ii)premises which will so consist when proposals made by any person for the erection of buildings or parts of buildings are carried out; and
(c)the conditions specified in Article 77 are satisfied in relation to that requirement.
(2) Each of the following persons shall be entitled to require the provision of a water main for any locality—
(a)the owner of any premises in that locality;
(b)the occupier of any premises in that locality.
(3) The duty of a water undertaker under this Article to provide a water main shall be owed to the person who requires the provision of the main or, as the case may be, to each of the persons who joins in doing so.
(4) Where a duty is owed by virtue of paragraph (3) to any person, any breach of that duty which causes that person to sustain loss or damage shall be actionable at the suit of that person; but, in any proceedings brought against a water undertaker in pursuance of this paragraph, it shall be a defence for the undertaker to show that it took all reasonable steps and exercised all due diligence to avoid the breach.