If the gas of any gas company or of any city or town supplying gas is found on three consecutive inspections or on three inspections made within a period of thirty consecutive days, upon such averaging of inspections as the department may prescribe, to be below the standard of purity fixed under the preceding section or the calorific standard fixed under section one hundred and seven, unless such defect is in the opinion of the department due to unavoidable cause or accident, such company, city or town shall be liable to a forfeiture of one hundred dollars, which may be recovered by an information in equity brought in the supreme judicial court by the attorney general, at the relation of the department, and when so recovered shall be paid to the commonwealth.
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 164, § 110