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The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 govern the installation and maintenance of water fittings. They place legal duties on the installers of water systems and the owners and occupiers of premises.
Following Parliament approval, the Regulations came into force on 1 July 1999, replacing the 1986 Water Supply Byelaws in England and Wales. A technically similar set of requirements were adopted in Scotland the following year, known as Water Byelaws 2000 (Scotland).
The prime objective of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations1999 is to continue the work of protecting public health and promoting sensible and efficient use of water, to the advantage of the community. Their introduction does have an impact on architects, designers, fittings manufacturers, installers, owners and occupiers of premises, with it being a criminal offence to contravene these regulations.
For many years, UK water suppliers enforced Byelaws to prevent the waste, misuse, undue consumption or contamination of water. The Regulations have added the 'prevention of erroneous measurement of water' to these purposes. Water fittings in any premises which are connected, or are to be connected, to a public water supply are governed by the Regulations. They do not apply to premises, which only have a private source of water, although they do provide a useful code of practice for private supplies.