Water Resources Act 1991

Cases where identity of occupiers in doubt

4 (1) The Authority may serve on the owner of any land a notice requiring him to state in writing the name and address of any person known to him as being an occupier of that land.

(2) The owner of any land shall be guilty of an offence if—

(a) he fails without reasonable excuse to comply with a notice under sub-paragraph (1) above;

(b) he makes any statement in respect of the information required by such a notice which he knows to be false in a material particular; or

(c) he recklessly makes any statement in respect of the information required by such a notice which is false in a material particular.

(3) A person guilty of an offence under sub-paragraph (2) above shall be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale; and a person convicted by virtue of paragraph (a) of that sub-paragraph shall be liable to a further conviction by virtue of that paragraph if, after conviction, he continues without reasonable excuse to comply with the notice in question.

(4) Where the name of any person liable to be assessed to any drainage charge is not known to the Authority, it shall be sufficient to assess him to the charge by the description of the “occupier” of the premises (naming them) in respect of which the assessment is made, without further name or description.

(5) For the purposes of this Schedule the owner of any land shall be deemed to be its occupier during any period during which it is unoccupied.

(6) Sub-paragraphs (1) to (3) above shall be without prejudice to the provisions of Part VIII of this Act.