SINGAPORE - The owner of a water company was fined $3,500 on Wednesday (March 3) for operating a water bottling facility without a valid licence.

To fulfil outstanding sales orders at his company Drinkstar Enterprise, Richard Lim Lian Chye, 70, filled bottles with tap water from the company's toilet and sold them to customers.

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) was alerted to this by feedback from the public. In December 2019, the agency conducted an investigation and found several empty 19-litre water bottles and water dispensers at 55 Serangoon North Avenue 4, where the company was located.

Lim was instructed to stop the bottling activities and recall the bottled water that had been sold.

Fifteen of the 19-litre water bottles were recalled and disposed of, said the SFA.

"Illegal bottling of water at unlicensed facilities poses a food safety risk," it said.

All water bottling facilities must be licensed and must meet SFA's requirements and food safety standards. The SFA also routinely inspects licensed water bottling facilities.

Those who illegally bottle water can be fined up to $5,000 for the first offence. Repeat offenders can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to three months, or both.