GWMWater has prosecuted a person for illegally taking water from the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline and for unlawfully interfering with works.

A hearing at the Horsham Magistrates' Court on Friday found the person guilty and resulted in them being convicted.

A penalty of $5,000 was imposed and costs of $122 were awarded. In addition, the person was ordered to pay the estimated value of the stolen water - a sum of $17,488.

GWMWater Managing Director Mark Williams said that it was disappointing that a small minority of customers choose to behave in such a way.

"We take water theft very seriously and will not hesitate to prosecute if customers are caught intentionally stealing water from any GWMWater system," he said.

At the hearing the judge publicly stressed how seriously he felt about theft of water and that a robust and controlled access regime was required and should be upheld.

In this case, he observed that one of the charges related to the illegal taking of water over an extended period of time, some of which was during a drought.

This is the second successful prosecution for GWMWater in six weeks. The corporation currently has another four cases under investigation.