An Oamaru man who allegedly stole water from the Waitaki District Council by tampering with his water meter is being dealt with by diversion through the Oamaru District Court.
The 25-year-old man had been charged by police with knowingly obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception between April 2008 and Christmas Eve last year by tampering with his water meter.
The council's water-waste water asset manager Martin Pacey told the assets committee meeting this week the man had been offered diversion.
Diversion is when, most often, first offenders are dealt with outside the court system and avoid conviction if they complete the process.
Mr Pacey said the council had invoiced the man $1000 for the cost of the water he allegedly obtained illegally, based on calculating the extra that would have been consumed.
The decision to charge the man reflected the council's resolve to take a tougher approach in response to a growing problem of people tampering with their water supply to get more water than they paid for.
It had caused major problems on some water schemes, particularly in rural areas, leading some to decline new connections because not enough water was available.
It was the first time the council had used a criminal process to punish someone illegally taking water, but could become more common.
Usually, offenders have been dealt with under council bylaws, but laying a complaint with police could result in a criminal conviction for fraud or theft through the courts.
