96.—(1) It shall be the duty of a water undertaker to allow any person to take water for extinguishing fires from any of its water mains or other pipes on which a fire-hydrant is fixed.
(2) Every water undertaker shall, at the request of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Board (“the Board”), fix fire-hydrants on its water mains (other than its trunk mains) at such places as may be most convenient for affording a supply of water for extinguishing any fire which may break out within the area of the undertaker.
(3) It shall be the duty of every water undertaker to keep every fire-hydrant fixed on any of its water mains or other pipes in good working order and, for that purpose, to replace any such hydrant when necessary.
(4) It shall be the duty of a water undertaker to ensure that the Board has been supplied by the undertaker with all such keys as the Board may require for the fire-hydrants fixed on the water mains or other pipes of the undertaker.
(5) Where a fire-hydrant is removed (other than at the request of the Board) by a water undertaker in the course of carrying out works in relation to any of its water mains or other pipes, the cost of replacing the fire-hydrant shall be borne by the undertaker.
(6) Subject to Article 97(3), the expenses incurred by a water undertaker in complying with its obligations under paragraphs (2) to (4) shall be borne by the Board.
(7) Nothing in this Article shall require a water undertaker to do anything which it is unable to do by reason of the carrying out of any necessary works.
(8) The obligations of a water undertaker under this Article shall be enforceable under Article 30 by the Department.
(9) In addition, where a water undertaker is in breach of its obligations under this Article, the undertaker shall be guilty of an offence and liable—
(a)on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum;
(b)on conviction on indictment, to a fine.
(10) In any proceedings against any water undertaker for an offence under paragraph (9) it shall be a defence for that undertaker to show that it took all reasonable steps and exercised all due diligence to avoid the commission of the offence.