Paragraph 32 Penalty for injuring water fittings, etc., or for fraudulent use of water.

If any person wilfully or negligently injures, or suffers to be injured, any water fitting belonging to the undertakers, or fraudulently alters the index of any meter used by them for measuring the water supplied by them, or prevents any such meter from registering correctly the quantity of water supplied, or fraudulently abstracts or uses water of the undertakers, he shall, without prejudice to any right or remedy competent to the undertakers in the matter, be liable to a fine not exceeding F1level 1 on the standard scale, and the undertakers may do all such work as is necessary for repairing any injury done, or for securing the proper working of the meter, and may recover the expenses seasonably incurred by them so doing from the offender.

For the purpose of this section, if it is proved that a consumer has altered the index of a meter, it shall rest upon him to prove that he did not alter it fraudulently, and the existence of any artificial means under the control of a consumer for preventing a meter from registering correctly or for enabling him fraudulently to abstract or use water, shall be evidence that he has fraudulently prevented the meter from registering correctly, or, as the case may be, has fraudulently abstracted or used water.