Laying of water supply pipes

(1) An owner or occupier of any premises within an area of water supply who desires to have a supply of water for domestic purposes from the Board for that village or community shall, subject as hereinafter provided, make application therefor to the Board which, if it approves, may lay the necessary supply pipe. (2) At or before the time of making such application, the owner or occupier shall pay or tender to the Board such sum as may be payable in advance by way of water rate in respect of his premises. (3) If so directed by the Board, the owner or occupier shall lay the supply pipe at his own expense, having first obtained the consent of the owner of any land not forming part of a street, being land intervening between the communication pipe and the premises to be supplied with water except that, where any part of the supply pipe is to be laid in a highway, he shall not himself break open the highway or lay that part of the pipe. (4) Where the Board lays the supply pipe on behalf of the owner or occupier, (a) the owner or occupier shall first obtain the consent of the owner of any land not forming part of a street, being land intervening between the communication pipe and the premises to be supplied with water; and (b) the expenses reasonably incurred by the Board in executing the work shall be repaid to it by the owner or occupier, and may be recovered by it from him as a civil debt. (5) Notwithstanding anything in subsections (1) to (4) of this section, the Board to whom such an application as aforesaid is made may within seven days after the receipt thereof, require the person making the application either to pay to it in advance the cost of the work, in accordance with the scale of charges prescribed by the Minister therefor, or to give security for payment thereof to its satisfaction. 34