The Ministry of Commerce and Industry recently closed down the Salma water plant in the south of Riyadh after discovering several breaches of health and safety regulations.

In a statement, the ministry said it seized more than 5,000 cans of bottled water unfit for human consumption.

The ministry’s inspectors found that there was no buffer zone between the outer perimeter and production rooms where insects and polluted air entered freely, posing a health hazard.

Ministry officials have started questioning the plant owner for failing to apply basic health and safety standards.

The closure comes in the wake of the ministry raiding various factories and warehouses in the region.

The ministry noted many irregularities such as the presence of residues, uncovered water tanks, cracks in the floor, and lack of insect traps. It found the water pipes connected with rusty metal wire, and workers washing bottles by hand with plain soap and water before bottling.

The inspectors found large quantities of tires, car batteries and rusting machines inside the factory warehouses. They also noted the lack of an automatic sprinkler system.

The ministry stated that it would punish those factory owners involved in fraudulent practices that threaten the health and safety of consumers.