SCOTTISH Water has warned vandals who set off fire hydrants that they could be fined up to £5000.

Hydrant vandalism can be more common during warm weather and in previous years there have been a number of incidents, particularly in Glasgow.

There were several incidents of fire hydrant vandalism in the city in early June, some causing a loss of water supply to customers, low water pressure or discoloured water.

Fire hydrants are a connection point to water mains and allow access to the water network, primarily for fire fighting purposes.

Jim Hassan, Scottish Water’s water operations manager in Glasgow, said: “Some children and teenagers, and even some adults, think setting off a fire hydrant is fun and just a prank. But they’re wrong. Fire hydrant vandalism is very serious and can have potentially fatal consequences.

“Fire hydrants are essential for fire fighting and an inadequate water supply can hamper the work of firefighters and so endanger lives and property.

“Fire hydrant vandalism can reduce vital water supplies to thousands of homes and affect whole communities, including care homes, medical centres, hospitals, schools and businesses.

“Whenever there are a number of these incidents Scottish Water has to bring in extra resources and this can adversely affect our ability to deal with water-related issues elsewhere.

“This mindless vandalism is a very serious community problem in some areas and we are urging people there to help us tackle the problem by reporting any incidents to the police immediately.”

Fire hydrants can be accessed legally only by Scottish Water, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and anyone who has been given permission from Scottish Water.

Vandalising or setting off a fire hydrant could lead to a fine of up to £5000.