Blocked Drains and Sewers Outside: Who Is Responsible?

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Blocked Drains and Sewers Outside: Who Is Responsible?

When a drain or sewer outside your home blocks, the first question is usually who is responsible, you or the water company, and who has to pay. The answer depends on where the blockage is and what type of pipe is affected. The rules changed significantly in 2011 when most shared private sewers in England and Wales were transferred to water companies, so a lot of older advice on this topic is now out of date.

If you're not sure whether you or the water company should be dealing with a blocked pipe, you can use our free Drainage Responsibility Checker.

The Basics: Drains, Lateral Drains and Sewers

A drain is a pipe that carries waste from a single property. A lateral drain is the section of pipe that runs from your property boundary to the public sewer, usually under a road or pavement. A sewer is a pipe that carries waste from more than one property.

Before 2011, if a shared pipe serving several houses was not formally adopted by the water company, it was classed as a private sewer and the homeowners using it were jointly responsible for maintaining it. That caused endless disputes between neighbours over blocked drains and repair costs.

What Changed in 2011

On 1 October 2011, the Private Sewer Transfer Regulations came into force. Nearly a quarter of a million kilometres of private sewers and lateral drains in England and Wales were automatically transferred to the local water and sewerage company. Homeowners did not have to do anything. The transfer happened regardless of the condition of the pipes.

This means that if a shared sewer or lateral drain that existed before July 2011 becomes blocked or collapses, it is now the water company's problem, not yours. You can report it to your water company and they will deal with it at no cost to you.

What You Are Still Responsible For

The transfer did not cover everything. You are still responsible for:

  • Any pipe that serves only your property and runs within your property boundary. This is your private drain and any blockage in it is yours to deal with.
  • The short section of pipe between your building and the point where it connects to the transferred sewer or lateral drain. In most cases this is a relatively short run within your garden or driveway.
  • All internal plumbing, including waste pipes from sinks, baths, toilets and appliances.

If you own the property, you will need to call a drainage contractor if you cannot clear the blockage yourself. If you rent, it is normally the landlord's responsibility. Contact your landlord or letting agent first. If they are unhelpful, your local council's Environmental Health team may be able to intervene.

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Properties Built After 2011

The automatic transfer only applied to pipes that existed before 1 July 2011. Drains and sewers built after that date remain private unless the developer arranged for them to be adopted by the water company through a formal agreement known as a Section 104 agreement. If your home was built after 2011, it is worth checking whether this was done. Your solicitor should have covered this during the purchase, but if you are unsure, contact your water company.

Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.

How to Work Out Who is Responsible

If you have a blockage and are not sure whether it is on your private section or the water company's, a simple check is to ask your neighbours whether they are affected too. If several properties have the same problem, the blockage is likely in the shared sewer and the water company should deal with it. If only your property is affected, the blockage is probably in your private drain.

You can also contact your water company directly. They hold maps of their network and can tell you where the public sewer runs in relation to your property. Most water companies have an online reporting tool for blocked sewers and will send someone out to investigate.

What If a Neighbour's Drain is Causing Problems on Your Property?

If a neighbour's private drain is leaking, overflowing or causing a smell that affects your property, try raising it with them first. Many people are simply unaware of the problem. If that does not resolve things, contact your local council's Environmental Health team. They have powers to investigate and can require the property owner to carry out repairs. In serious cases they can arrange for the work to be done and recover the costs.

If the issue is with a shared pipe that should have transferred to the water company, report it to the water company rather than trying to resolve it between neighbours. That is exactly the kind of dispute the 2011 transfer was designed to prevent.

Paying for Private Drain Repairs

If the blockage is on your private section, you will need to pay for a contractor to clear or repair it. Costs vary depending on the severity of the problem. A straightforward unblocking with drain rods or a high-pressure jet typically costs between £80 and £200. More serious problems involving collapsed or damaged pipes can run into thousands of pounds.

Some home insurance policies cover drainage problems, though many standard policies do not. It is worth checking your policy or considering specialist drainage cover if your property has older pipework. If you are on a low income, some water companies offer assistance schemes for essential repairs.

The Next Step

Drainage Responsibility Checker

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Drainage Responsibility Checker lets you find out who is responsible for a drainage problem. Takes 1 minute. Try it now →

Ask Problem Neighbours a Question
ProblemNeighbours Editor 08/09/2026 at 1:00 pm
@WhydoIhavetopaycounciltax? There's logic in what you're saying, and it would certainly cut down on the shared-drain disputes we hear about constantly. Trouble is, retrofitting millions of Victorian terraces with their own straight runs to the main would cost a fortune, and many properties simply don't have the space or gradient to make it work. Keeping foul and surface water separate is already best practice on new builds, so at least that bit is heading the right way.
WhydoIhavetopaycounciltax? 08/09/2026 at 12:16 pm
It's nearly 2027; Who runs This Country?
Common Sense could solve most Foul Water and Rainwater Drainage Problems problems between neighbours. Make it Law to put One STRAIGHT HOUSE TO ROAD SEWAGE REMOVAL PIPE in place for every property. (Keep Rainwater separate, and make this a One House to Road Straight Channel Drainage too. Do You agree?
Make it Legal: Every house/building has to have one house/building STRAIGHT from that building's 'Private and Lateral' kept within That house's/Building's Boundaries. Replicate this for Rainwater. Do You agree?
ProblemNeighbours Editor 17/05/2026 at 1:30 pm
@Fed up That sounds grim, and you've actually done the right groundwork already by getting a CCTV survey showing the blockage is on their side. Your next step is to report it to your water company, as shared drains and sewers are usually their responsibility to investigate, and they can force the neighbours to sort it. You can also report the fatberg issue and misuse to Environmental Health at your council, as raw sewage outside is a statutory nuisance. Keep photos and the camera report as evidence.
Fed up 24/07/2024 at 9:05 pm
My neighbours are abusing sewers and used their toilets as bins wipes pads nappies & fat/oil all goes down loo the fall off of pipes is not good so items have got stuck preventing free drainage of sewerage & a build up which has results in the manhole being full to brim with raw sewerage With evidence of fat burg as there is fat globules sitting on top of water which clearly indicates oil has been put down toilet last year their misuse of system resulted in massive blockage & raw sewerage bubbling up into my sink . I paid private company to attend & they put camera down the blockage was on their property. It’s blocked again the area stinks but they are ignoring it help
Rhubarb46 10/02/2024 at 3:16 pm
Hi, my neighbors have inserted a T junction onto my garage soak away pipe to divert rain water from my gutter and have connected this to their drainage system. Does this now constitute "Common Services" and should a surveyor have mentioned this when a recent sale of property was undertaken. Thanks in advance for your response.
None 17/01/2024 at 3:10 pm
Hi, my friend lives in an assisted housing organisation (lives independently in own flat) he owns 80 percent and the organisation 20 percent, he pays a monthly service charge. His shared soul pile with the upstairs flat became blocked and the waste came up thru his shower tray (poo, toilet paper) it flooded the shower room and adjoining carpeted hallway, who is responsible for the internal clean up ? thanks
Ben 02/11/2023 at 12:28 am
Hi. I live in an end terrace house with a shared down pipe with next door. The down pipe runs on my drive so I had to have a soak away installed and aco drains which run to the soak away. My neighbour is having a large full width of house canopy built and wants to run the water of the canopy into my aco drains to my soak away because he has no drainage at the front of his house installed I’m not happy with this as my drive is on a slant to my house and it takes in a fair amount of water for a soak away and adding extra water will become an issue as it floods and then the water sits at the bottom of my house wall which will potentially cause damp
togger 29/06/2023 at 9:28 am
Hi i have a drain which goes under a wall into next door.
The next door are tenants, the drains became blocked as i am a plumber of 73 years old i dug the drains up to find that a clay pipe was broken & collapsed in next door. I proceeded to
clear. I had already had a camera down so that conclusion was correct. I put in a itemized bill into the Estate as we live out in a village & most property's are owned by them . The estate say as it has not effected there tenant why should they pay. They have paid £350 towards the bill but they have 2 property's on that drain. They say i should have waited 4 days so that 1 of there labourers could have dug out the drain so i could renew it. We have 4 adults in our house so we could not wait i was washing down human feces down with a hose pipe.
Could you please tell me where i stand in this matter.
Many A J Evans
Swiftlozza 24/10/2022 at 12:52 pm
So next doors drain in the back garden is leaking, I have had my water supplier out and they have checked their drains and they are all fine, so it is next doors private drain that is leaking. They are not replying to my messages and when asking for information they are also not providing this. It is leaking into and through my foundations. What are my next steps that I can take
Soaked 14/09/2022 at 6:41 pm
Hi my house is a mid townhouse with a fall pipe, my neighbours fall pipe goes into mine. I have had Yorkshire water round, there is no drain, so that is why every time it rains my garden floods. I have spoken to landlord next door and he won’t help with anything. What do I do, any advice greatly appreciated
Thank you
Fed up! 14/08/2022 at 10:12 pm
Hi, I’ve lived in my Victorian terraced house for 23 years it has sheared access between my house & next door. I’ve just had new neighbours move in who has watched a few too many DIY programs, anyway they are looking to put an ensuite shower room in the front bedroom but that would mean running the soil pipe down the wall of the sheared access. Are they aloud to do plumbing work for their house through the sheared access without asking us or even informing us of their intentions. Please can you help me? Thank you
John 29/08/2021 at 8:02 am
Next door had issue with blocked drain. There connection was in my grassed backyard.
Backyard now is damaged. Can I get compensation
Ang 23/07/2021 at 6:22 pm
Just bought a townhouse a month ago. Got a sewer backup yesterday. Management sent a sewer company which determined that this is a constant problem with the Two houses adjacent. Not a sewage problem. The plumber just worked on our home in the winter with the previous owners and there was no clogged pipes. The toilets are back to back in the basement of each townhouse. The sewer company has worked 7 times in the house we bought. Today will be an 8th time. And 3 times in the next doors house. Who do we go after to correct the problem and pay the cost
Ang 23/07/2021 at 4:14 pm
Just bought a townhouse a month ago. Got a sewer backup yesterday. Management sent a sewer company which determined that this is a constant problem with the Two houses adjacent. Not a sewage problem. The plumber just worked on our home in the winter with the previous owners and there was no clogged pipes. The toilets are back to back in the basement of each townhouse. The sewer company has worked 7 times in the house we bought. Today will be an 8th time. And 3 times in the next doors house. Who do we go after to correct the problem and pay the cost of the sewer work that will be done today?? Please advise. Thank you Ang
Tambu 21/07/2021 at 8:42 am
I have a flat in a block mine is on the ground floor and it got blocked over the weekend. Contacted the management company I was told it is my responsibility as my flat is the only one that was blocked. The report from the engineer said he had to unlblock the drains that run under the flat. It is a leasehold. Just want to know am I responsible for the drainage of my flat?
Many 06/07/2021 at 7:43 pm
We have a Harron home which is 5 years old, one of the drains which is shared, keeps getting filled up with bricks debris, and mud, and keeps blocking, Yorkshire Water have attended on several occasions, and cleared it out of good will, they have now said the can no longer respond, as the shared drain is not yet adopted, and that Harron Homes are responsible, we have contacted Harron Homes, who have said that they only cover the drains for 3 months after build.
We have called in an expert, and had cctv in the drains, and one of the outlets have not been capped off, causing all tye debris to fall in.
We are really concerned, and don't know what to do, please help.
Lakh 24/06/2021 at 1:12 pm
Hello .. My neighbours single sewage pipe is perched on my private boundary attached to my wall. Both homes are privately owned and he is refusing to remove it. I have my own separate single sewage pipe and they are no way connected. His sewage brackets have caused wear and tear to my brick work. He isn't co-operating as he said his single sewage pipe has always been there. I've only had the property for 3 years and it is rented and I can't afford to lose my current tenants who are very nice and understanding. I've spoken to United Utilities and I was fobbed off two say that it's a private matter but if he was to block his sewage who is responsible of the cost? i have also spoken to the local council who have said to refer back to the local council. I feel like it's going in circles with no answers and I don't want to go down the legal route until I know the facts?? Can someone help with some solid advice please?
Ashu 11/05/2021 at 11:03 am
I live in a society where six row houses are attached to each other. Society is not formed. I have face problem from last 2 years regarding Drainage line and chember.
There are two chembers in my premises and always blocked after 2-3 months frequently. Drain water is stored for 8 to 9 days in my premises. Neighbors not cooperate. This causes due to my one neighbor hide chembers in his premises of common line, separated his drainage line. As he is of short tempered , other neighbors not give attention in this matter. How can I make them all cooperate?
Chris 19/04/2021 at 2:51 pm
I have a driveway that slopes which has 2 shared drains on. They are both 7ft deep and have concrete surrounds that are around 4ft in diameter. The problem is that the ground around these have subsided and made my drive dangerous, we have had someone trip on this and twist thier ankle as a result of this already. The previous owners had a 10 year warranty on the house and had it repaired under this multiple times. This warranty has now expired. I have had 2 engineers come out and say they are a seven trnt asset and that thier company is responsible for fixing the poor construction of these drains. Seven trent keep sending to thier waste department who then say its not thier responsibility and then referring me back to seven trent corporate. This has happened 3 times now. They are saying the drains have no faults on (which they don't) so it's not thier problem but the drains should have a foundation around them to support the land around them. I am loosing my teather and don't know what to do next. Any advice? The drain is thier asset but it has caused damage to my property due to its poorly constructed foundations.
Typhoonlulu 04/03/2021 at 12:41 pm
We live in a block of 4 maisonettes. All are privately owned and are leasehold. Two flats, one above the other, have an ongoing problem with a joint sewer. The water company comes and clears it pronto but one chap said that as the one pipe has subsided, the owners should replace it. Problem: do all 4 naisonettes pay for this? What about the freeholders of the property?
Debbie 02/03/2021 at 9:03 pm
Hi we recently had a new extension to our house. The builder got a digger in to dig the footings but had to dig out the manhole to resite it further down the garden, he took out the pipe and stuffed the remainder with a bag so the concrete didn’t fill it up then somehow forgot about it until it was time to rejoin it. Now he cannot rejoin it because he cannot find it and there is now concrete footings and a house on top.
He approached the neighbour who’s driveway goes over the junction of our sewerage with his sewerage and then runs down his drive, but the neighbour is refusing to let him dig the 1 metre of his drive up to reconnect the sewer pipe with our new sewer pipe. What can we do as at the moment our waste water is just running into a hole in the garden.
HilaryMathews79 21/02/2021 at 1:32 pm
Please confirm If I'm in the right not to let the water sewage company cut few trees at the back of my garden so they can enter woth some machine to unblock the drain, leaving my back garden exposed to the main street and devaluing my house, putting my security at risk and no privacy and main reason to buy this house was a secure private garden and they want to cut a chunk that's ridiculous, I will not feel safe in my house, anyone can enter! I also have a feeling my neightbours blocking it on purpose, we share a pipe recently they started harrasing us and twice in one Wem blocked the pipe...
Sam 06/02/2021 at 7:18 pm
We live in a bugalow weare not on mains sewage and have a ses pit in land next to us in front on our neighbours land is the drainage pipes and drainage for run off water its only our drainage but our neigjbours have put a large rainwater harvester in and the run off which is huge volumes they have put in our drain which is causing back flow and our run off flooding out into garden is this allowed
colleen 17/12/2020 at 4:39 pm
our sewage pipe runds through a communal car par for our neighbours. We have been advised that the pipe is close to the surface and that if it is damaged in any way that it will be our responsibility. If the pipe is damaged by a falling tree, bin lorries driving over it, or retarring of the parking area above it, would this be our responsibility?
Mo 11/12/2020 at 2:51 pm
I live on a shared courtyard.
RainWater runs down it through an archway passing over a grid which spans the archway.
This has become blocked with dirt etc
Who is responsible to clear it
Mo 11/12/2020 at 2:47 pm
I live in a courtyard of 4 homes...and 3 garages.
Where the rain water runs down and threw an archway there is a drain full width of arch way and around 5inches in depth.
It has become blocked with dirt and grime running into it.
Who would be responsible to get it cleared out.
Louise 04/12/2020 at 1:28 pm
Your information about shared drainage is wrong.
Since 2011, any part of drainage that is shared is the responsibility of the Water Authority, even if it is in private property, and none of you has to pay. My neighbours' drainage comes across my garden and joins mine before it goes down to the main sewer. They have blocked it three times recently by putting things down it no sane person would, resulting in their sewage across my terrace and path, and previously refused to even share payment for it being unblocked; I found out that it was Welsh Water's responsibility, phoned them, and they were absolutely brilliant - came straight round, unblocked it, cleaned up, established whose fault it was and that there is nothing wrong with the drain, and are sending the neighbours a letter about it. If they carry on doing it (previous pleas not to put ridiculous things down the toilet have been ignored), WW will continue to unblock it but have the power to prosecute.

The relief of not having to find the money to pay drains people and not having to deal with these unpleasant neighbours myself is enormous. Please change this page so that people don't continue to pay and have stressful confrontations when they have no need.
AJ 12/11/2020 at 11:01 am
My neighbor complains blockage. And he said it's from our house. Our water runs down as it should. They checked the man hole on our property, done pressure clean and it was quiet for a month or so. Now he complains again. What should I do?
nigel51 18/10/2020 at 2:23 pm
My neighbour has concreted over our shared sewage inspection cover in order to stop me coming into his back garden (he told me himself because he can not come into our back garden!!).
Is there anything we or Yorkshire water etc can do.
Best regards Nigel and Paula.
Jim 29/09/2020 at 8:19 pm
My upstairs neighbour has a redesigned bathroom her WC is located across the room from it's origiinal position. The soil pipe travels along a wall and then turns 90 degrees along another wall to reach the drain pipe. I think there must be three elbows used and I don't think there is much of a run. The drain pipe is shared between us and I have never had any trouble with the drains in thirty years.
Three years ago when I was on holiday her WC was backing up and I came home to wet carpets etc. I had to suffer three weeks of water dripping through.
Eventually she got the Dynorod people to clear the blockage in her soil pipe in her bathroom. She eventually had the join to our drain pipe lowered from the outside of the building to improve the run.
Two weeks ago while I was watching TV I heard this terrible noise coming from my bathroom, I could hear my neighbour using her plunger and then I had this sewage backup flooding over my WC and all over my utensils and carpet etc. I phoned Dynorod right away and they came an hour later. The engineer agreed that this was all due to a blockage upstairs. I paid £180 plus an extra £30 tip for vacuuming up this disgusting mess. I also spent £40 replacing the carpet. The proprietor of the house refused to pay me saying they were not to blame.
Can anyone advise me where to go from here both financially and making sure this will not happen again. Oh yes, I tried to claim from my Halifax insurance and got nowhere due to exess' for water ingress and they would not pay for Dynorod either.
KC 07/09/2020 at 5:23 pm
Hi
We live in end of terrace cottage , our external pipe connecting to sewer Keeps blocking every few months , already paid hundreds of £ to unblock it , we suspect there could be a fault/damage with pipework underground , another company is coming tomorrow to put camera down to hopefully establish what causing it.
Sewer/water comes up in pipe on our side of the house but as far as I am aware it’s all connected underground , couldn’t this be joint responsibility?
We are the ones that are getting angry knocks in the door but we are Not doing anything to block it .
Thanks in advance
Jez 05/09/2020 at 5:45 pm
Hi,
My flat is on the first floor at the rear of a block of flats. My neighbour’s flat is on the first floor at the front. He thinks there was a previous leak from my bathroom water pipe which somehow damaged his bathroom. I don’t see how it’s possible for water from my flat to travel to his, especially as all the water pipes from my bathroom seem to exit to the rear of the building. Also his flat is at least 20 meters from mine.
Any suggestions?
Gp 26/08/2020 at 9:28 am
Our neighbours sewer connects to the main sewer via a pipe under my property, they are the sole user of a short section of pipe whic runs from their property to the manhole in our garden .This pipe is damaged under our house.
I’m not sure if we are responsible for it as our service have no connection to this section.
Any advice please
Colin 08/08/2020 at 4:20 pm
Some of the problems others have mentioned might be helped by checking the title deeds and those of the neighbour for any mention of the drain/sewer. Sometimes there are easements that allow you access to fix a problem or stop a neighbour interfering with a pipe, or require them to maintain it.

Others might be helped by knowing that ownership of _shared_ sewers transferred to the water companies a few years ago so they might now be responsible for the pipe and have powers to get it fixed.

Some house insurance policies include legal protection and if you have to go to court this may pay for it.
Josh 26/07/2020 at 10:56 am
We have a french drain the old pot ones coming through are garden but nowt comes out of it both sides but when it rains it comes underneath the wall from nxt door theres no way of getting this problem sorted has the pipes are to low it just keeps filling up its half way up the wall will this damage my property people are saying a stream goes under our houses where do we go from here even if I put a pipe to connect to it still will not go how do I sort this it's a nightmare
Shastri 29/06/2020 at 5:32 pm
We are living in Hosakote Bangalore rural our area is lot of problems no body solve our Drienage and please visit sir it's my kind request
tom 22/06/2020 at 12:00 pm
Hello
I'm owner terraced house with flat roof. Every second house got drainage to collect water from two roofs. Water from my roof goes to neighbor side drain.
On Friday 19/06/2020 water started dropping from ceiling downstairs caused stains on the walls and ceiling also floor panels swollen in one bedroom upstairs and living room downstairs.
Put Buckets straight away to catch the water. Went on the roof to see what happens. There was big pond caused by clogged drain on neighbor side. Removed all the leaves to unclog the drainage.
After couple hours water stopped leaking. Had running dehumidifier over weekend to take moisture away. Despite we had some more rain over weekend walls seems dry no more leaks.
Called roof specialist to check the roof, he said that nothing wrong with mine.
Send some emails with photos and videos to the landlord nothing back yet.
Phone him is well, but he said that he doesn't know about roof drainage.
Found on internet that's owner responsibility to keep the drain clean.
I've got home insurance but they not covered leak caused by neighbor's drain blocked.
Estimated cost for repairs floors ceilings and walls will be about £500 just for material, who gonna pay for this.
Can you help me how I can sort it out.
fakhar 20/06/2020 at 3:40 pm
naliya bund rehti hae garou py pani aa jata hae nali saff karny waly eid ky eid ya maheo bad apni marzi sy aaty hae nalyou ky under kachra bhara para hae pani ki koi nakasi nhi nazm kuch nhi karty braey mehbani ap sy request hae khakrobo ki sakhti sy dutti lgaey un ko peesssy mat dy jub tak ky duty ada na kary
Abbi 25/05/2020 at 12:09 pm
I wanted to get some advice, I’ve had my kitchen sink backing up with water when the washing machine is on. Also, In my garden there’s been sewage water coming up between my patio slabs but only when the washing machine is on. I’ve tried 2 drain cleaners now down the kitchen sink (Hasn’t worked) as my landlord said it’s my fault for putting grease and fat down the sink (even though I don’t) we cannot find the manhole in our garden and don’t know if it’s been covered. He’s now wanting to charge me a days work to ‘dig up the garden’ because he said it’s my fault. (Not sure why he wants to dig up the garden, maybe to find the manhole) just wanted to know what are my options?
Bonesy 20/05/2020 at 12:32 am
My neighbour's drain is blocked and backed up and the stench is unbearable. He rarely goes in his garden, as to it is piled high with rubbish and old furniture etc and he admitted himself in the past that he has an issue accessing it.
The drainage is so bad that his whole patio is covered in a foul smelling grey sludge. I saw a rat in his garden last year and reported it to the council but so far nothing has been done. He is a council tenant.
I have contacted the council on numerous occasions since and they are aware of the issue but my neighbour has refused them access.
Yesterday I saw a rat in my own garden and I am unable to sit on my patio or open the windows or door at the rear of my property due to the smell.
I have spoken to the council again and they said they're hands are tied, especially during lockdown etc as they can't force entry.
Does anyone know what else I can do please? What are my rights legally? Would Thames water or Environment Health have more power?
I am at my wit's end. I'm not sure if there are actually any health implications in regards to his drain but the smell actually makes me feel physically sick.
Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Ginger 08/03/2020 at 8:30 pm
Hello i would like to ask my friend lives on a mobilehome park in radcliff on trent he has got blocked drains and sewage comming up in his garden and the next door sewage is all over her garden he has reported it to site manger but know joy 5 people have reported it now and know joy there are alot of old people on site it been like this for threedays now so i need help to how do i report it to now please help he can not wash up because the sink is blocked
Bella 04/03/2020 at 4:17 pm
We share a drive with occupiers of Broxholm Rd with their gardens backing on to the drive. Water always runs from their garden across the drive to us. But now the water is coloured and stinks and is slimy. It looks like drain or sewer overflow. This is getting worse. The smell is bad. Can’t tell where the flood is coming from.
Cotty 25/02/2020 at 5:17 am
I have a football pitch that has a drainage system that keeps overflowing the water travels under the fence and floods our patio lifting the slabs!. Neither the local council or the county council or the football club or a dance club who lease the buildings accept responsibility. I am just pushed from one to the other. I am at my wits end. Any suggestions ?
Smithie 20/02/2020 at 5:22 pm
The neighbour of my friend has built a conservatory over the main sewage drains that run down the street. He didn’t put a support in place over the sewage pipe to take the weight of the conservatory or the conservatory base. The problems with waste backing up have only occurred since the conservatory next door was erected. The sewage pipe under the neighbours conservatory has now collapsed. The pipe is leaking and as the pipe opening is now so small with being collapsed/squashed, waste is backing up into my friends manhole. This has resulted in my friends man hole constantly having to be emptied by the water authority to drain the waste that is backing up. She’s had the garden covered in waste on 4 occasions, the toilet won’t even flush toilet paper away without at least 2 flushes, and she’s had waste come up into the kitchen and spill onto the kitchen floor. The water authority have tried to re bore the pipe but it won’t work as the pipe is too collapsed. They then sent a team of surveyors out who said after physically assessing the situation (a team of about 10 men with all their fancy gadgets) that if they were to re route the pipe out into my friends garden and then put a bend, and pipe back into the neighbours garden, thus closing off the original section of pipe that has collapsed under the neighbours conservatory, it would cause future problems for my friend as the drop is insufficient to drain the waste away and would lead to waste backing up in the new pipe and eventually being a problem later in time for my friend; this was an option the water company were considering until the survey showed the drop to be insufficient. The surveyors told me they would be advising the water company not to consider or follow this option. The water authority then out sourced a different company to try again to re bore the collapsed pipe using a slightly different technique, but that too failed.
They have now come back saying they are going to go ahead with the re routing of the pipe into my friends back garden after all and will by pass the collapsed pipe under the neighbours conservatory. When we queried that the survey they had carried out earlier had shown that the drop was insufficient, they then said that they have had another look at the results and think it will be okay after all. (what a coincidence!! Not!: needless to say I smell BS here as this is the easiest option for them!)
Now there are several things happening here.
Number one, is that the guy next door laid the base of the conservatory straight on the ground, whilst other people in the street had to provide support over their sewage pipe when erecting a conservatory or extension so that the sewage pipe would not be compromised, I assume, squashed or collapsed from any building/conservatory weight added.
Number two; my friend lives alone and is not so young. Without me going into detail my friend has had some majorly major additional personal problems/situations during this water com
KazzyS 28/01/2020 at 2:54 am
Hello
We have drains in our rear garden which toilet sewage and kitchen water runs into. The drains are blocked so we have sewage running down our pathways. Our drains are old. My neighbour has erected a fence and blocked the access. He says he wants proof that our drains are bad. Which would be the best way to get a report done, Environmental Health or water company? The report will be used in court. Many Thanks
Ella 14/01/2020 at 12:43 pm
Just two months after moving into the new house, the back garden at home is very big. I planted the seeds two days ago. Today, the garden was flooded with rain after the heavy rain. This means that these two months have been wasted. Who should I ask to deal with this problem? I found a drain pipe blocked in the back garden.He called the sewage department but said they weren't responsible.
Mac 06/01/2020 at 10:49 pm
In my town house my neighbor and I share a drain, I have issues in my bathroom and need access to their basement. How can I make them cooperate?
Soul 30/12/2019 at 9:43 pm
My neighbour's waste pipe is collapsed runs underneath my conservatory toxic smell is coming from my conservatory, none of my waste goes through this, my house is end of terrace. Who is responsible for this?
Iz 30/12/2019 at 5:08 pm
If my neighbour has blocked the drain on my side which they have done can I do anything or Con tact someone
parm 07/11/2019 at 10:31 am
The drain pipe to my sink for my business was removed by my neighbour. I now have to use bucket to wash my hands, this is has been like this for a while now and my room stinks. What right did my neighbour have to remove this drain pipe. The drain went into a drain on the boundary to his property, but my roof downpipe already goes into this same drain. Also all the drain run onto my property to several interceptors etc.

Do I have a ground for basic rights to wash my hands as I am having problems with hygiene and not being to wash my hands properly while at work?
Hay1234 15/10/2019 at 5:01 pm
We have recently had our kitchen/diner flooded by our toilet as there was some kind of blockage which then caused the sewage water to come back up whilst we were out. We have had our water board out as they own the piping in which we found out there were two breaks in the drainage pipe. We are private tenants to our property but what we are needing to know is who is responsible for the internal damage. Is it my insurance, my landlords or the water board?
Jewels 07/10/2019 at 2:38 pm
My neighbor has their drain pipe resting and emptying into our backyard. We have had problems with them in the past and have had to get the police involved so as they would stop their antics. Now they are doing this and refuse to make right of the situation. My husband is afraid he will damage their pipe while mowing as it is clearly in our yard. (We had a survey done). If damage does occur to it what are the consequences? They could simply shorten it but refuse. Can we take matters into our hands since it’s on our property or do we need a lawyer?
Smiga 02/10/2019 at 8:07 am
Im having the smell of sewage come in my house from a drain wats my next door neighbours its been happening for months now and every couple of weeks my 2 little boys are poorly with bad coughs and colds i seriously think its because of that before i lived in this housetbey wasn't poorly im sick of the smell im gonna end up falling out ova this its all through my house what can you do when people are ignorant.
maria 25/09/2019 at 7:51 pm
My neighbour next door has a cracked underground pipe running along the party wall that carries the sewage of the house and because it runs the party wall sewage and toxic mould is infesting my kitchen in the basement. Is the Environmental Health Office responsible for making my neighbour to solve the problem.
MARIA 25/09/2019 at 7:41 pm
I live in a terrace house. My next door neighbour underground sewage pipe has been leaking for years. It runs under their cellar and along the party wall and toxic sewage end up under the floor and behind my kitchen fitted units. I have evidence that their clay pipe is leaking in several places. In addition to the toxic sewage I now have an infestation of toxic black mould. As my neighbour refuses to renew the pipe and the situation is affecting my health to the point that my doctors have advise me that it is no longer safe for me continuing living in my property.
Is the Environmental Health Office responsible to force my neighbour to solve the problem?
V 10/09/2019 at 12:55 pm
My neighbour and I share one rain water drainpipe as we live in a semi detached house. Now it was blocked and then found out the underground pipe was totally shuttered 2ft away front the wall. Looking from the front of the house the gully seems to be in the middle of both houses. Are we both responsible for sorting it? Or is it only me?
Tango1 30/08/2019 at 4:12 pm
A pipe solely serving a neighbours rainwater gulley and wastewater from his bathroom runs into a manhole on my property. I have suffered some dampness recently and so had a CCTV survey of all drains on my property. It found that the above pipe, solely used by my neighbour has 2 leaking joints on my property. The leaks are therefore causing a nuisance to me. I have offered to share the cost of repairs but he has denied any responsibility saying it is all my liability even though only his property uses the pipe. Surely I cannot be solely responsible for leaks, repairs and maintenance of a pipe used by the neighbour
Betty 03/08/2019 at 10:48 am
Hi
We have recently been flooded out through out our property, all downstairs up through floorboards. Various flooding points from out with our boundary caused this but one of the causes is we have an old well in our grounds ( no longer functioning blocked about 2 metres down), however the next door neighbours main drain from her land does not run down to the roadside it runs into the well causing major flooding of our property. Are we within our rights to advise the neighbour we require to block this pipe which is in on our land. The rain water is not just from her land but flooding down from the back of the estate so it is not just water from her property which comes into our well from her drains- all water going into her land from behind floods into our well via her drainage. We are traumatised at this point and need prevent further floods. Our home sits in a dip hers sits on natural run way so if her drains over flow her home is not flooded but if we don't block this drain our home is high risk. We live in Scotland what should we do?
Thanks
NDNQ 25/07/2019 at 10:31 am
I have a shared sewer which is in my neighbour front garden. The owner has covered the manhole, tarmac has been laid so cars can be parked, and the house Is now up for sake.. If my drain blocks who pays to removed the tarmac to get to the manhole?
leo 10/06/2019 at 9:08 am
My neighbour and i have one rain water drain pipe as we live in a traced houses. 25 ft Drain pipe is in my side of the wall but his roof collection turned in to that too. Now its blocked and all my walls getting dumped. Are we both responsible for unblocking? Or is it only me?
Ast 04/05/2019 at 9:25 pm
There is a man hole in my garden who is serving my neighbour s property only before joining the main sewage. The cover is badly damaged and is dangerous for my children. Whose responsibility is it to change It?
PKNIJ 03/03/2019 at 3:52 pm
the office at the back of my house , have rights to connect to my back garden manhole.registered 50 years ago , now this 9 meters long sewer pipe is damaged and need to be replaced involving digging a trench of 3 foots deep by 2 foot wide for the length of 9 meters in my back garden to replace their existing pipe.

office existing sewer pipe is for their use only , its a branch dropping in to my back manhole ,its not part of my drainage system with next doors.as our drainage system worked fine it is only the back office pipe need to be replaced.
the office other options is to connect to the road manhole direct or to the manhole at the edge of my front driveway but it is costly .



the office solicitor said that I have to inform my building insurance prior to their work,rather than having the office or their builders insurance to cover any potential damages even knowing that the work going to be at my back garden only and manhole is 1.5m away from my back walls and my house foundations and they only digging down 3 foots deep into my back garden to replace their existing damaged pipe .

can I deny their access to do the work in my back garden ?.

If I can't deny their access , could I hire a surveyor at the office cost to record before and after work and make sure that sewer connection are right and to prevent builders leaving my back garden in a mess after office sewer pipe replacement.and to cover any potential damages .

Kind Regards
magyk1 01/03/2019 at 4:39 pm
We have a leak in our tenement block - water coming out over the front entry door and into the hall ceiling. I've had two drainage experts come out - 1 says he thinks the drains need flushing from the roof, another says he thinks it is one of the neighbours in the 3 flats directly above and that we should use a 'dye test'. My question to you - there are THREE flats directly above the entry door and their bathrooms are directly above the entry door. They have all agreed to do the 'dye test', but what I need to know is in which order should we do it? Top flat first or lowest flat first? 1,2 3 or 3 2 1?
Any answer would be ever so appreciated.
Jim 20/02/2019 at 12:41 pm
Hi

Looking for some advice

We have a pungent sulphurous dioxide smell in our house sometimes which smells like rotten eggs or sewage.

We live in the middle of a set of terrace houses.

It occurs at all time of the day and we think the smell is emanating from the neighbours but can’t be sure; we’ve had it for months.

It comes from under the floor or under the stairs never the plugs or toilet.

What we do know is that we had our drains CCTVd and there were no blockages, traps were working and no gaps. I’ve thrown lots of stuff down plugs caustic soda etc as well.

The main sewer has been checked and is clear, gas company came out no issues..

We’ve just had the kitchen and front room under flooring done and there was no sign of water leakage or gas leakage.

Does anyone have ideas what could be the cause?

If I want to get my neighbours to investigate their drains - do they have to legally, who incurs the costs etc

Sadly I don’t have a great relationship with them and I know this is something they won’t do unless they have too.

Thanks

James
JW 09/02/2019 at 10:32 am
My neighbour has a drain that crosses my land and ends up in a common septic tank. This drain has got blocked before it joins my drain. The root cause of the blockage is probably tree root damage to my neighbour's pipe from trees on my land. The blockage is not helped by the neighbour flushing wet wipes and tampons down his toilet.

Who is responsible for the clearing and repair of this drain?
Amymoo 31/01/2019 at 12:53 pm
We recently removed a raised bed in our garden we purchased April2018 and found the neighbours on the road behind have their plastic sewage pipe running into ours, its not been put into a manhole just cut into our clay pipe and cemented in. The pipe is above the ground as the raised beds were clearly covering it. The neighbours are a lot higher than us! Nobody knew of the pipe, Yorkshire Water had it as out private drain. Our solicitor cant find any easment or deed or any paperwork relating our properties. We sent the neighbours a letter to ask if they have any paperwork they’ve sent half a copy of an ‘easement’ with the date showing as 2000, no day or month and it states there’s an agreement between the previous owners of our house and the owner of the land of the time the houses were built. They are now refusing to send the full document saying we can find it at Land Registry and the onus is on is to prove it exists. Our solicitor has been useless saying there is no easement so he’ll write to them and now 4 months later after refusing to take our calls has said they do have a right because it was before 2003! Arghhhh
tucky 06/12/2018 at 11:23 am
i have a bad neighbour.
he has blocked my drains with some kind of bung he brought from b and q because he does not like my camper in my driveway. i went to see him about this he said move the camper i will unblock the drain. im being held to ransom. i have all our conversations on tape and him admitting to it.
what shall i do is it a police or council matter?
Lofty 07/11/2018 at 3:50 pm
I work for a company that had a toilet removed, the pipe from the toilet is still there and has not been capped. A shelving unit has been placed over the pipe but does nothing to hide the smell is this legal.
Ems 06/10/2018 at 5:26 pm
We live in a cottage flat. 2 Semi dettached split into 4. We all share a drain. The drain happens to come under our garden into the road to join the main sewer. The drain is blocked with baby wipes. This is the 3rd time it has happened. We managed to get it cleared ourselves the first 2 times. But this time it is so solid we cant unblock it without professional help. I know which neighbour is doing it since it has only happened since she has moved in and never before. But i cant prove it. She is also the only one in the 4 that is a council tenant while the rest is owned. Not sure what to do since its the 3rd time it has happened. Why should we pay when she has done it? Any advice will be great.
ProblemNeighbours Editor 18/09/2018 at 12:52 pm
What is Severn Trent's policy on cleaning up after any work they've done? Water companies are usually quite scrupulous about this kind of thing.
Blocked again! 17/09/2018 at 6:57 pm
My neighbour regularly blocks the drain by putting baby wipes down the toilet. He then rods the obstruction onto my side. Tonight Severn Trent asked to come on my property to jet the obstruction away (I own the middle property, the ones each side run into the sewer on my property). They jetted it, but I was left with all the mess after they cleaned their hose down. My path and grass are now contaminated.
I've spoken to Severn Trent and they said I cannot refuse them access onto my property, but why should I put up with the mess when it's my neighbour causing the problem?
ProblemNeighbours Editor 14/08/2018 at 3:35 pm
If the neighbour is responsible but will not pay, you could try mediation/alternative dispute resolution, or failing that the legal system....a solicitor's letter might be sufficient to avoid going all the way to court.
ProblemNeighbours Editor 14/08/2018 at 10:00 am
You need to check whether you share the drain or not and where it connects to the sewer etc. Your water company will be able to tell you this. You can find your water supplier here
Sharon 10/08/2018 at 3:33 pm
Hi I live in a row of terraced housing, and a neighbour wishes to get the drain fixed, as her home has flooded once, however it doesn't affect us do we have to pay.
ga 02/08/2018 at 9:31 pm
me and my neighbour shares a private drain, however the drain is on our property and there pipe run through our property, through the private drain into the main drain, the private drain got blocked and and the pipe was leaking so i had to pat for it alone to fix it. my neighbour said they dont have money but will pay half the next day. its been two weeks and they havent given a cent. what do i do in this situation
ProblemNeighbours Editor 23/07/2018 at 1:57 pm
If you have a shared drain where several neighbouring properties' drains meet together before they join the public sewer, it is usually the responsibility of the water company. Give them a call to find out what you should do.
Bea 19/07/2018 at 10:58 pm
We live on a row of five houses, 3 have Man holes ,we are the last house with a manhole.We all have down stairs toilets. Every month or two the man hole on our property gets blocked from all the other houses,our pipe and our neighbors are always clear. Who's responsibility is it to find out what the problem is,as the neighbors at the other end of the row are saying it is our responsibility to find out even though the blockage is not from our house or my neighbors. This is causing friction with our neighbors. Should I get in contact with EHO
Laz 06/07/2018 at 10:42 pm
I share a drain with my next door neighbour which runs under our boundary. A good 75%of the drain is on their side and 25%max on our side running under the boundary fence. The drain pipe the connects to a shared sewer drain a few properties down.
The shared drain has blocked once and was cleared for us by another neighbour closer to the shared sewer drain using rods. It was found the blockage was from nappies which we assume was from the next door neighbour we share the drain with.
It has now blocked again and we can smell raw sewage which must be flooding the drain.
I want to get this sorted but also don't want to get hit with a hefty bill if we are not responsible for it.

How do I find out who is responsible?
Ryanuk82 24/06/2018 at 6:23 pm
I’ve been in a new build for 3 years . I have a foul water drain on shared access property but this is within my boundaries on deeds. Our houses are situated at the bottom of a hill and in heavy rain the drain will burst flooding our garages and driveways and has caused damage to the driveway. I’m currently looking into how this can possibly be sorted so it doesn’t happen again .it has happened twice in the last two years . Any ideas on how I should go about this. The housing developers are taking no responsibility . Severn Trent have not adopted the site yet . We’ve had two floods in the past two years
Harrassed 01/05/2018 at 1:53 pm
We purchased our house nearly 8 years ago, which has a biological system for waste (chess pit), which in the entire time we have lived here have never had any problems with and never had to have emptied. About 7 months ago, the old Methodist chapel behind our house was purchased, and the purchasers decided to turn the drainage ditch (which the overflow pipe from our cesspit runs into), into a pond. They then concreted up the end of our drainage pipe. We have contacted our borough council, county council, local councillors, enviromental agency, enviromental health and the middle level drain to see if we can establish who the drainage ditch belongs to, and we just keep getting told that it is illegal for him to block the end of our pipe, but that it isn’t under their duristiction. We can not afford to seek legal advice, but also cannot afford to keep having our biological tank emptied every five to six weeks. Please can you give us some help or advice
ProblemNeighbours Editor 23/01/2018 at 3:11 pm
Check with the management company or your deeds first of all. If the point of the blockage can be identified, that might indicate who is responsible too.
HC88 20/01/2018 at 7:57 pm
I live in a small block of flats and the top flat above me have complained about a horrible smell coming out of their soil vent pipe that flows from the ground floor flat through mine to theirs internally in all of our en suits. I occasionally get the smell and it can occasionally be in the communal area!
Who is responsible? Them or the Management company to have a look?!
Notamused 02/01/2018 at 12:44 pm
My house is owned by n Ireland housing executive there is a severe blockage in the drains and when I flush my toilet the faeces and urine and waste is coming up threw my shower it is been drained every couple of days and problem still ongoing should I move out or is someone responsible to put us in temporary accommodation
Cockahoop 29/12/2017 at 4:12 pm
We bought this house in 2016 a few months later we found a storm drain running down the side of the house coming from the next doors neighbours all covered up with rubble I might ad,we are not connected to it,the conveyance solicitor said we are within are legal rights to ask them to remove it, we have been all this time trying.at the moment we have a surveyor handling it (Rics)and he has just sent them a letter asking them to remove the pipe.the pipe runs all the way down the path on to our garden at the front of the house.it's coming from there extension.we bought this as a retirement home but it's been nothing but a headache the seller put on the property information form that there were no drains or pipes coming from any other property.Help what can we do
Sam 27/12/2017 at 10:56 pm
My neighbours drain runs under my house to a manhole on a shared pathway.sometimes my neighbours drain gets blocked and needs pressure washing out.if the section of the pipe is damaged under my house,who is responsible for repair.my drainage is not connected to this pipe but runs into the manhole on the shared pathway separately.
ProblemNeighbours Editor 15/12/2017 at 12:52 pm
Say something to the landlord about the other tenant. It's up to the landlord to deal with this.
Dymphna 13/12/2017 at 6:47 am
Our flats toilets keep getting blocked: we get noises, gurgling, slow running bath/loo then it'll get totally blocked. I'm on the end so it's always me that rings landlord. They cleared main sewer & drain of nappies, wipes & fat (not me!). My neighbour next door & my bathroom drains are joined under the house: she seems to wait till I ring landlord so it looks like it's me causing blockages... Could the problem originate next door? If so, how to prove it? She won't let workmen in! I'm Sick of feeling like everyone.blames me for the constant blockages every few months?
ProblemNeighbours Editor 28/11/2017 at 3:36 pm
You can find your local council by entering your postcode here./a> Phone and ask for environmental health.
Mamta 28/11/2017 at 5:53 am
I want a bhopal local environment health officer contact number so that i can register my complain....neighbour not feel any respinsibilty towars sewage problm now what should i do ...our sewage now start overflowing .
AM 09/11/2017 at 4:07 pm
Domestic (untreated) waste water is draining onto my side access from neighbour's property (we're lower down the hill). Water then drains inmto my rainwater drain.
Experiencing flooding on path (3' x 15') from washing up, dishwasher etc. The water leaves dirty residue and there are occasional foul smells. Area becoming increasingly dangerous - slippy as moss growing despite my brushing / cleaning.
From looking it appears that the problem is with a waste pipe as it exits property as their wall wet. The water seems to flood out of this joint, most overflowing onto their path and then ours. I've repeatedly spoken to neighbour, or more often her tenants, to no avail. Seems that they may be doing temporary fixes that subsequently fail.
How can I next best proceed. Flloding is daily now. Is council best place to go to? What acts apply? Can I insist on coincil action? Or is only solution soliciors ltter ?
Squidface 26/10/2017 at 1:21 pm
My landlord has sent me a text saying that the drains have been blocked with wetwipes and cling film?? Ans That it is either me or downstairs flat. He then sent me another text saying that if we don't pay what it cost for him to do then he will evict us I don't see why i should pay for somethingg i havent done .
I'm now worried about what is going to happen can he evict me over this ?
ProblemNeighbours Editor 30/06/2017 at 12:49 pm
Your local water supplier will be able to help you with this. Here's how to find yours if you're not sure
Smiler 29/06/2017 at 5:21 pm
Hi I have a slowly run away WC and associated pipework which leads into the sewer
We have lifted the manhole which is full and tried to clear is with no joy
I have been into the next to properties and lifted there manholes to check if these are clear but these are completely full as well the last house on the run will not let us have access to check if there manhole is full too
I have asked them to check there manhole but I am getting no joy
Before long all the adjacent properties will have foul entering there house
We're do I go from here as I am getting no joy from these owner ?
neighbour10 18/05/2017 at 5:54 pm
Hi we live in a semi detached house. We own the entire house on one side and the house on the other is split into flats.
There is a shared drain at the back that washes rain water into a drain only accessed from the neighbours side and cannot be seen from ours.

We have had damp in the corner for a while and have asked the tenants in the flat adjacent if they do too but they didnt. We also asked the letting agent and they said there is no damp and referred it to the managing agent who did nothing.

Yesterday we came down to find our kitchen letting in huge amounts of water in the corner and under skirting boards. As the weather got worse the kitchen got soaked. The tenant then went in to her garden and cut back brabmles to find the drain pipe was completely soaked.

We have a lot of damage to our walls. We need to contact the managing agent but need to know where we stand legally as although it is a shared drain we literally have no access and no way of servcing it...
anyone?
Tay 12/05/2017 at 11:46 am
Hi

I am investigating an issue of a broken Strom Drain.
The part which is defective is located under the drive of a private domestic dwelling.

Would Highways or the property owner be responsible for remedial works?
Kunal 13/04/2017 at 7:52 am
Legally Can I cover the parallel drain in front of my house
Sid 06/03/2017 at 10:06 am
Hi, I live in the side of a hill with fields to the rear and a road running uphill to the left of our property. The owner of the field behind us desired to dig a trench across his field, terminating at a highways drain. Unfortunately the drain immediately filled with mud and blocked. The water is now pouring down the lane straight onto our property. The landowner then decided to lift the drain grid and throw it in the hedge. As the water is flowing over the top of the hole where the drain grid used to be, you cannot see the hole in the ground. Someone is going to come to harm if they fall in. Is this highways responsibility or the landowner for blocking the drain?
ProblemNeighbours Editor 17/02/2017 at 12:01 pm
Firstly it's worth checking her deeds to see if there are any charges to users with access rights. It's fair that if it's used regularly, the users should contribute, so it might be worth her seeking legal advice on how or if she can issue a charge to users.
Trace 16/02/2017 at 7:53 am
Im asking this on behalf of a pensioner who owns the land but her neighbour has access rights to it, now theres been a flooding ( car park) only, now the neighbour is demanding she gets it fixed and has been blaming us carers for driving over the drain cover, but everyone has to go over it, deliveries, post, waste lorries so really all who has driven across there has contributed for its collapse. Now what i want to know is should the neighbour who has access to his property contribute to the up keep of this drain as he has to cross it to get to n from his property.
ProblemNeighbours Editor 16/01/2017 at 12:00 pm
Do you have any information in your deeds about what happens in cases like this? Or are you renting? In which case, can your landlord offer any information? Check this out first. If you want to claim back the money you've paid out for clearing the blockage, you might need to so via the legal system/small claims court.
PMG 15/01/2017 at 12:27 pm
I have had flooding in my ground floor flat caused by a blockage In the joint waste pipe with the flat above. The blockage was caused by the neighbours in the flat above flushing baby wipes. I have had significant expense cleaning up. Who is responsible for my costs?
houseseller 30/12/2016 at 9:55 pm
I'm trying to sell my house to an investor, he has had a report come back that there is a public storm drain that may/may not be underneath my house (i don't know how far down in the unlikely case if the pipe bursts who is responsible to pay to get repaired/replaced? the owner or the water company?
Beth 15/12/2016 at 10:56 pm
We share a sewer tank with our next door neighbour's. The tank is located in next door's garden. A couple of months ago they informed us that they had had the tank emptied twice since we moved on (year ago) and they were requesting we pay half the fees (which we except). However we disputed the amount they wanted us to pay as they wanted us to pay half of the cost for the period of time prior to us moving in, when the house was owned by a building company and renovated. I have offered to pay half the cost of the period we have lived here and asked for details to make payment but heard nothinf back. In the original correspondence our neighbour said they would stop us using the tank if we didn't pay the amount requested, can they do this?
ProblemNeighbours Editor 23/11/2016 at 2:24 pm
You may need to look at some form of mediation or alternative dispute resolution to find a solution that is mutually acceptable.
Adge 23/11/2016 at 9:48 am
Our garage is located across the road from our property. It has been damp since we moved in 2 years ago. The garage roof was old and contained asbestos so we had the roof replaced, hoping that would go a long way to improving our damp garage. In replacing the roof, the workers pointed out the state of the existing drain pipe - once again, in such a poor state that it was no longer performing its job. When we asked them to replace the drain, we were met with resistance from our neighbours. The roof of our garage slopes towards their property. There is around 2 foot gap between the back of our garage (where the water runs off) and their garage. They claim that any drain that takes water from our garage roof and directs it towards their property is a problem. They are proposing that I remove the drain and allow the water to run off the roof, naturally, into the gap between our garages. The problem I have is that, with a new roof and drain removed, the recent wet weather has caused not just a damp garage but puddles of water in the garage, much worse than before I had the roof replaced! I have tried to accommodate my neighbours but I am not pleased that in spending thousands on a new roof, the inside water is worse than before! Help?
ginag 20/11/2016 at 10:50 am
I'd like to know who is responsible for surface water grated drains in Road. The council at waltgam firest will
Not accept responsibility saying its Thames water. Tgames water say it's the council and that they have no sewer connection there or something like that. This has been going on for years. When we have heavy rain it floods. Ive had a car written off. My cellar had been flooded and still no help from either. Im now furious! How can I put pressure on council to help me. I can afford s lawyer.
Mehu 19/11/2016 at 9:06 am
This is one layout houses are near by near pls tell me . Any offence of neighbourhood toilet air pipe in front of our main door pls tell me how to handle it.
SC109 17/11/2016 at 6:10 pm
Hi,
We live at the bottoms of a hill and the drain in front of our house regularly gets blocked and causes flooding. The council are responsible for the drain and will often put out 'Flood' signs when the road floods. However, the flood always comes up onto the pavement and very nearly reached our house. We have been told by our councillor that he has tried on numerous occasions to get the drain unblocked properly, which is the sole reason why it floods, but to no avail. I'd like to know, after many complaints, phone calls and emails, if the flood water was to come into our house, would the council be liable for the damage caused? Many thanks
Dicky 10/11/2016 at 8:36 pm
Hi, I have an unsightly soil pipe in our living room which is boxed in but have decided to have it moved outside and go into a drain which is literally the other side of the wall which is on our property but is next doors drain. It has the facility to accommodate other soil pipes so ours could easily go into it as at the moment I believe our soil pipe runs under our house to a separate drain some distance away. My question is can we use their sewer. Thanks.
ProblemNeighbours Editor 09/11/2016 at 10:55 am
You need to have a word with your neighbours...they might need to go back to the company that did the work and get them to come back. If your neighbours refuse to fix the problem, it might be worth contacting your insurers to see if they can do anything. Water companies are responsible for some sewers and drains, so may also be able to help you (even if that means fixing the drain and charging the neighbour).
NC 08/11/2016 at 9:32 am
I have a problem with water flooding under our house. We had it pumped out x3, had our drains checked. Nothing to report on our side. However our neighbours were also checked, turned out there drainage pipe was broken. There sink/bath water was diverting under our property. They have replaced half the pipe, so there's no flooding under our house, except there constant rising damp. Checked under our house again still water coming through, but getting absorbed into the mud. Not sure how to resolve this.
I would appreciate any advice ? Thanks
Nafeesa.
ProblemNeighbours Editor 24/10/2016 at 11:11 am
You need to contact a drainage company - they will come and take a look to find out where the blockage is. Check with your water company first as they are sometimes willing to take a look if it could be a blocked sewer problem.
evans92 22/10/2016 at 9:01 am
Im not sure if its to do with my drains or the sewer. All water that goes out my sinks, bath and everything from my toilet is coming out into the back yard and smells so bad. Also my washer isn't working due to the blockage which i think may be. Who do i ring to come check. My partner is the home owner but not sure if its lease or free.
ProblemNeighbours Editor 21/09/2016 at 12:54 pm
We don't know as we can't see it. Your local council's building control officer may be willing to take a look and advise you. If the problem with the foul smell persists contact your landlord and report this as a problem needing repair. If the pipe work is correct, it may be that you need to try some cleaning agent etc.
Alex 19/09/2016 at 8:59 pm
Hello,

I 'm a tenant and I have problem with drains smelling bad.
Basically from the house exit pipes ( 50mm of diam) that collect water from the bathroom ( bath and sinks) from the kitchen's sink and from the dishwasher and washing machine.
Those pipes doesn't go straight under the ground but they are collected in open sky structures ( 30cmx30cm) ( laying agains the external house wall) outside the property and from there they fall in a sewer(drain).
Sometime the water stuck and take time to be drained down and horrible smell comes out.
Is this kind of implant (system) healthy or potentially dangerous for health?
Is this kind of implant (system) law compliant and environment respecting?
Could you give me a reference on how the drain system would be to be according to law?
THANKS for advising!!!
Best Regards

Alessandro Bertoenri
ProblemNeighbours Editor 15/09/2016 at 10:16 am
It sounds like you have a legal case against someone here...we're not sure whether it will be the highways agency or the developer etc but it's worth seeking legal advice. You can often get a free initial consultation with many solicitors, so shop around.
Jay 14/09/2016 at 7:23 am
I have had a problem for 10 years with our house position . It's lower than anybody else's . It was the show house . All the drains are on our property . With this torrential weather we keep having the water and at time the drains overflow . We have put aco drains around our house . We have redesigned our garage to a room so it doesn't flood now . But now the whole house is getting flooded through the 3 doors and where the garage was . The local highway have admitting some responsibility for the design of the road . The drains can't take the amount of water . As a householder who has spent thousands of pounds on our house . What can we do now? Should they be paying our bills for damage ? How do we make sure our drives are clean and not sewage ? Have we got a right for them to buy our house off us as nobody else will? I can't take much more ! I am constantly writing emails for help . It's making me depressed and very angry . Any advice please ?
Gylnn 10/09/2016 at 7:07 pm
This has been happening since mid 2015. The house has flooded so many times it's ridiculous! The people who live above us flush stupid items down the toilet causing our home to suffer with horrible smells, toilets overflowing with waste as well as the bathtub and water making its way through the electrics causing danger to my son in his bedroom and downstairs. Items flushed - clothes, cigarettes, dish towels and carrier bags. We have called the council to have our time fixed but it continues over and over. We have turned off the main water supply but then the council comes to tell us to turn it on again but when we do we suffer. During July we had the toilet dismantled and to this day we haven't had it repaired. Our downstairs bathroom has yet to have the drains sealed and because of this we can smell everything that happens in our neighbours bathroom - smoke from cigars and their waste. Water occasionally leaks in the downstairs toilet as well making the only toilet we have available to use unavailable. My family and I cannot live like this any longer it is very unhygienic and it makes life difficult. No matter how many times we have our toilets fixed, our neighbours keep flushing garbage and other stuff down the toilet therefore blocking everything and flooding our home.
Daisy 01/09/2016 at 4:36 pm
We bought an Edwardian end terrace house two years' ago with rear garden shared access. The road is on a hill, and drainage downhill is to the neighbour's garden with whom we share access. We have no surface water drain on our land.

The neighbour has recently blocked the drainage route with planks of wood, meaning that when I water the garden there is nowhere for the water to run off. (I don't over-water). If there is a lot of dirty water, I always ensure that I hose it clean and that the drain isn't blocked.

Can I ask the neighbour to remove the planks? What are my rights on access to drainage? Any help would be gratefully received.
George 24/08/2016 at 12:30 am
4 months ago our disaster become. All dirty water from the neighbours is leaking in our garden because of the blockage of their drains and sewers.
We have been spoken with them many times and still nothing. The problem persist.
We are really worry because we have 2 garden cats and their health is in risk. All water from their bath and kitchen come to our garden.
What are the right actions which we need to take?

Thanks in advance!
Jules 23/08/2016 at 8:59 pm
We have a manhole in our rear garden. There are two drains leading into a main drain, which then runs under a neighbours garden. We assumed one of the drains was ours and that we were responsible for it so, over the last 12 years, my partner has often cleaned it out and unblocked it when it became backed up. We have just found out that our property is not actually connected to this drain. Ours is connected to another drain under a manhole at the front of our property. The two drains connected to the manhole in our back garden are from two detached properties to the side of us. These were built just after ours by the same builder and face the main road. (Our house is in a cul-de-sac). It would appear that the builder 'cut corners' and connected these two houses to a very old drainage system under the garden of a third adjacent property, via our garden. The owner of the third house was also unaware that this had been done and the drainage system is not showing up on the water boards maps. The builder is no longer trading. We have checked our deeds and there is no manhole on them. Three questions please - Can we request that the drains are relocated? If yes, do we go about it? If no, what are our options? Many thanks. ??
ProblemNeighbours Editor 09/08/2016 at 11:42 am
While planning permission may not be required, it will need to comply with building regs: Part H Drainage and waste disposal states that certain conditions will be met if the foul water drainage system:
Conveys a flow of foul water to a foul water outfall (a foul or combined sewer, a cesspool, septic tank or holding tank)
Minimises the risk of blockage or leakage
Prevents foul air from the drainage system from entering the building under working conditions
Is ventilated
Is accessible for clearing blockages
Does not increase the vulnerability of the building to flooding.
Give your building control officer a call for further advice as your local water company might need to be informed.
Akdal 08/08/2016 at 2:51 pm
We have a neighbour who has built an outside toilet right beside our garden out of a plastic shed, he has knocked through a hole in the floor to the normal drain is this even legal?
ProblemNeighbours Editor 03/08/2016 at 1:51 pm
Firstly check with your local water company to make sure it's not actually their responsibility as they are responsible for many sewage drains even on private property. If it's not, then you might want to give your home insurer a call, they may be able to offer advice on making a claim or getting the third party to pay their share. Thirdly you could resort to the small claims court.
catb 02/08/2016 at 2:50 pm
This week I put my washing machine on and it was not draining but filling up the sink. I tried all means to clear the blockage but had to phone a company out as nothing was working. He then discovered that the sewage drain in my driveway was blocked , this is shared with the owner next door. We appear to both be responsible for the blokage . She was on holiday and i called her to make her aware. I paid the bill of £174 and she is refusing to give half saying she wants proof she is responsible. I can't say what she is putting down the toilet or in the drains. I am not expecting her to pay the full bill just split it equally 50/50. What can i do as she is being completely unreasonable about it ?
ProblemNeighbours Editor 14/07/2016 at 1:00 pm
Contacting your water company and asking them is probably the easiest way to find out. Most parts of shared drains are covered but individual sections (which join the shared drain) may not be.
Thegorillaboy 11/07/2016 at 9:59 pm
I live in a row of terrace properties who have a shared drain which I have been advised by a drainage company that a section has collapsed and so the water is not clearing as quickly as it should. I'm aware local water companies are now responsible for shared drains. Are they responsible for all of the pipes or just a section?
ProblemNeighbours Editor 27/05/2016 at 12:53 pm
The quickest way to establish an answer to this is call your local water company. In general the water companies are now responsible for any shared drains.
Suzi 26/05/2016 at 12:50 pm
We have agreed to purchase one of the last group of homes in a development of a National Home Building Company. The roads are complete andall but this group of homes in the centre of the development are occupied.

Back on April 18 I had a site meeting and was told that there would be two manholes on my path and back garden for foul water. At the time I asked if that was surface water from our garage roof and was told no, foul water. Not having a clue what that meant I mentioned it to my solicitor who suggested I write to the developer immediately for clarification with a drawing of the plan layout. This I did and was told on April 25 that this was a question my Solicitor should direct to their solicitor. This he did in writing the next day, April 26th. I was due to exchange on May 6th (as requested by the developer) but as the requested drawing and a couple of other questions had not been answered, the exchange was delayed and the solicitors again exchanged correspondence regarding matters outstanding including the drain drawing. This continued until May 19/20th when I exploded at both the Developer and my Solicitor demanding a copy of the drain in question. I should point out that during this delayed period from April 26 to May 20, a number of the surrounding properties did exchange - the properties are still under construction and will not be completed until July August.
at 4pm on Friday 20 May and sketch (not an official drawing) was supplied showing the six properties above me had their sewerage crossing then running full length of my back garden before meeting my own and adjacent neighbours connection for about 6-7 meters before joining the public system on the footpath in front of our house. My Solicitor immediately requested a covenant be inserted in the lease of all properties.A subsequent report from the area authory has confirmed that all properties upstream of where my own house joins this private sewer are equal shares responsible for any blockages that occur in my back garden. The developer says it is 'too late' as the others have exchanged. The also tried to tell me that I would be absolutely responsible for any cost/repairs for blockages that occur anywhere on my property. This is absolutely untrue. My mortgage provider now wishes to withdraw my mortgage offer.
What should happen here? Should not the property owners above my own that feed into this private sewer running through our back gardens be aware of their full liabilities. Is the developer obliged to put this right before any of these eight properties are completed, exchange takes place and they move in?
ProblemNeighbours Editor 18/05/2016 at 10:42 am
You should contact your water company for advice on this in the first place. If they cannot help sufficiently, refer to your deeds to see whether any drainage rights over the neighbour's land are mentioned. This will enable you to take action to force your neighbour to rectify the situation.
Will 15/05/2016 at 5:26 pm
Can my next door neighbour block off the open running ditch that carried our waste and drainage water away from my property he had carted in tonnes of soil and filled the ditch causing me to get flooding and my sewerage overflow to block up and have raw sewerage in my garden now
We live I a rural area and the sewerage is a private runaway can the farmer get away with this it's been a system that has worked since the 50 s ?
ProblemNeighbours Editor 28/04/2016 at 2:21 pm
It might be worth a call to your local water company as many of the shared drains where several properties' drains meet before they join the public sewer are their responsibility.
schplut2016 27/04/2016 at 6:15 pm
Our neighbours waste drain is actually sited to the side of our house next to our garden patio. Every year it overflows with lumps of solid soap and foam and floods our patio. So far although we have complained she says she doesn't have it covered on house insurance and can't afford to get someone in to look into why the drain doesn't drain away and overflows. My husband has to unblock it using a set of rods and hosepipe and last did it a few months ago using a tip from someone on utube who suggested blocking the drain and creating a back pressure. Today I've noticed a white fat slick which has come out of the drain, and once more we have complained and told her not to put fat down the drain. We also told her not to use soap powder and to use liquid. This has been going on for years and we are truly fed up as my husband is now retired and has a bad back. Should we contact environmental health? We want to lay a new patio but don't want to do this whilst the problem continues. I think we have been patient enough and don't want to fall out with her but whilst my husband continues to unblock it she seems to be quite happy to let him get on with it. It's a shame it's not on her patio as I'm sure she would have dealt it years ago.
ProblemNeighbours Editor 20/04/2016 at 11:44 am
Contact your local water company. There is a list here
Bina 18/04/2016 at 9:42 am
Hi i have a neighbour from hell he blocked our drain by pouring cement and concreat down his rear manhole which caused blokage in ours ,and then last year i whitnessed him pour soil from his front garden into the street drain ! Ive recorded him doing this .who do i contact to complain about him ? Thanks
ProblemNeighbours Editor 31/03/2016 at 2:35 pm
You might have to take this via the small claims courts unfortunately. It would be useful to obtain some kind of evidence to prove that the problems have been caused by this specific building work.
ELMB 29/03/2016 at 3:42 pm
Hello, We live in a first floor property and share a drainage system with the shop below us. We have had a blocked toilet and has someone out who jetted down the drains and run dye through. It then blocked 3 days later. We have had this property for 15 years and never had a problem until now, when coinsidently the shop below has been doing building work. We suspect they have poured something down the gully which has created a blockage which they can bypass but ours cannot. I understand this is a shared cost, however, if after investigations it is obvious to be plaster or tile adhesive which they have poured down, whose responsibility would it be? Unfortunately their is no inspection hatch as we suspect previous owners have concreted over it, so it will be a big cost! Thanks!
sisy 07/03/2016 at 10:17 am
our neighbour has a leaking vent pipe waste water leaks from it toilet bath etc enviroment at local council looked at it gave them a week to fix not done phoned council again said if enviroment agent gave them a week he will sort it and phone law on getting it done urgently please what more can i do its private owned house
Impending Feeling of 27/02/2016 at 3:39 pm
Hi,

We called Thames Water out to unblock our surface drain that was backing up with raw sewage. It wasn't our fault, and was evidenced that our soil water flows clearly through the correct sewage pipe after flushing the blocked surface drain.

I suspect our neighbour has connected her toilet soil pipe to the surface drains that are shared and run from one property to the next at the rear wall boundary to each house.
I have run drain dye through all toilets and through surface drain vertical connection + lifted manhole covers to verify that our surface drain is not connected to the sewer.

After the drains were cleared I've noticed again that sewage is coming in from the neighbours boundary (along the surface drain under the fence) so suspect that the surface water is hitting a blockage on her side and then backing up into our drain.

To make matters worse, she has a well developed fig tree planted directly over all sewers. Full survey at purchase verified no foundation damage.

So if we suspect that our neighbour is blocking these drains due to her lifestyle e.g. only flushing the toilet once a week, throwing grease and cat litter into the drain, etc and it is incorrectly connected to the surface drain - where do we stand?.

Many thanks,
pasta 12/02/2016 at 4:06 pm
In Braamfisherville we have a problem of drains that block everyday am in front of the other house this drain when it blocks my neighbour get angry at me she has a problem as if its my fault about this sewage always fight I need help to the people of johannesburg water to come and solve this drain because this sewage make me fight with my neighbours come at braamfischer 13814 please we need help
Rose 06/12/2015 at 3:49 pm
There is a drain in the street where the cars drive which over flows onto the side walk every time it rains and blocks the walking passage It is in the town of Ballina Co Mayo. Whom should I contact?
Ravio 01/11/2015 at 11:49 pm
Hi I live in 1st floor flat .i own the 1st floor.ground floor lady renting property .we have drain problem nearly 2weeks it's all mess everywhere and stink .i offer her pay half payment to fix the drain with private plumber but she refused to pay .what legal help I can have?i called health environment but they don't help at all .im not sure where I can seek the help.thanks
Irv 28/10/2015 at 9:50 am
Next door has been converted to flats, they have put two kitchen drains into a rain water drain on my property. Is this allowed? I was told by Yorkshire water that I had no choice in the matter, is this true? The waste from the drains caused blockages in the drain running under my property so Yorks water took the ubends out to allow free flow. Now, We get horrible smells through the house. Could any body tell me where I stand?
clairbear 22/09/2015 at 8:43 pm
hi I have enough now of my bock ed sink I had a specialist clear it away but every time washing machine on it bubbles up through the sink?Also I've had a problem with my bath every time I empty it next door get rubbish up through hers
ProblemNeighbours Editor 11/09/2015 at 10:50 am
You can ask your Water board to take a look. Usually if your neighbours use the drain (which they do if their rainwater is exits into it) they share the cost.
blueflame 10/09/2015 at 9:37 am
Hi I have a private drain running under my property to the mains outside.I recently had a block age and got dynorod to unblock it for me. They completed the job and advised in future I am not covered because of a shared drain. My neighbours drain is not connected to mine but the guttering from their extension for the rain water does exit on to my side of house and because of this I am now informed this is classed as shared ? any ideas
dave 15/08/2015 at 8:34 pm
I live in a leashold flat and the drain is blocked is the freeholder responsible for unblocking the drain or have I got to pay half.
aussie2 01/08/2015 at 4:45 pm
My neighbour has two toilets that run into a private drain that passes under their back extension and under my back extension and eventually runs into a shared drain I have with my other neighbour. My sewage and my other neighbours sewage enter the shared drain much later and causes no problem

The private drain keeps blocking and impacting the shared drain and I have to keep getting it cleared. It took a little while to find out that sewage was coming down this private drain and the local water authority tells me it is because they are using water savings devices and not getting a good flush! But my neighbour doesn't seem interested in removing their water savings devices in their loos or other simple measures to keep the drain running. What can I do?
JennyH 01/08/2015 at 12:41 pm
I have had new soffits and downpipes fitted to my semi detached house. My installers told me that my shared rainwater downpipe at front of house was blocked right back up to halfway up wall. They cleared out as much as they could at ground level but there is still a blockage. My adjoining neighbour had new fencing posts and fences installed and it is our belief that whilst excavating for posts to go in they inadvertantly smashed the ceramic horizontal pipe underground and the hedge above has sent out roots into this cracked pipe, thus causing the blocked pipe. I have lived at my property for some 40 years and never had a problem and the hedge as always been there as well. The fence has been erected exactly on the dividing line of the properties. To who should I go to get this situation sorted out. I don't want to cause a problem for my neighbour but I don't feel responsible either.
ProblemNeighbours Editor 27/07/2015 at 10:49 am
@maggie. As long as it is still accessible, it should not be a problem that it cannot be seen.
john 20/07/2015 at 9:26 am
I have a terrace ex-council house, the back of my house I got no drainage hole and I am worried everytime it started to rain, the gutters from the roof went down to all the neighbours except mine. There is no outlet for the rainwater and it got flooded when it rain heavily. who should I contact to rectified this and what can be done?
ProblemNeighbours Editor 16/07/2015 at 2:31 pm
@Raju. In our experience if there is a potential health implication with a blocked sewer they will visit and establish the location of the blockage and advise you of your options.
Raju 12/07/2015 at 7:49 pm
Hi,

I have a terraced house which a blocked drain (I have tried to check whether there is any blockage but cannot see anything as the pipe goes further along to the next neighbour) How do I investigate where the blockage is without incurring costs myself as I guess it will be difficult to recover costs from all households if it is a shared sewer between all houses and a blockage needs to be rectified. Do I need to speak to the water company to investigate where the blockage is or speak to the local council? (Local council web page indicates if it is a private house then I should contact a private sewerage company)

Thanks
ProblemNeighbours Editor 01/07/2015 at 11:58 am
@Yvie. The problem could still be with your drain even though you are not experiencing any problems. Ask your water company what to do. Often, they will investigate and will charge back to the relevant household.
Yvie 28/06/2015 at 11:06 am
My next door neighbour has blocked drains and says the blockage is in my garden and expects me to investigate. I do not have any problems and suspect that him building a new extension has some bearing on the problem. The land lie suggest his drainage crosses my garden. Do I have to investigate, at my expense or should he agree to pay for it bearing in mind
I have no problems at all.
ProblemNeighbours Editor 25/06/2015 at 11:01 am
@Ian. Your environmental health department my be able to act on this as it has potential to be a health hazard. The water company can also take action in to force an owner to maintain their drains.
ian 21/06/2015 at 9:18 am
We Have a property which we rent to a tenant. The neighbour to the property is not maintaining their ground water sump or drains and water from their property is flowing into our properties garage and playroom spoiling carpet and fitments. What can we do to make them. We have tried the friendly approach and a letter - my tenant has actually cleaned out the neighbours sump once for them but they still do nothing.
ProblemNeighbours Editor 19/06/2015 at 2:05 pm
@johnnie. Your local water company will be able to tell you this if you give them a ring.
johnnie 15/06/2015 at 10:41 pm
The downpipe taking rainwater from our roof (detached house) empties into a drain on our neighbour's entry. If this is blocked whose responsibility is it?
pansfan1967 14/06/2015 at 8:15 am
where I live in the London borough of Brent,
kerbside sewers are left blocked solid with dirt to the point where excess water has no where to go
and so Imagine if there was a spate of heavy rainfall,
it is safe to say that floods or damage to property is likely.
people also dump garden soil in plastic bags in parking spaces.
I reported a recent incident of that kind to the Local council.
the bags were removed,
but excess garden soil was left strewn over the road.
I decided to inform the council
and it took several days to get a response
but the excess soil was left and never cleared up.
signs are erected around the borough warning people about fly tipping(not surprisingly Brent has a serious problem with that)
but as to be expected,
People ignore the warnings and continue dumping excess trash
in order to avoid paying to have it removed by the council contractors.
dog owners that leave dog mess on the pavements and grass etc are also warned by means of signs of heavy fines if caught.
but again people in general ignore them and so the pavements are regularly littered with dog mess.
if those people fail to pay their council tax
the council rarely if ever fail to remind them of their obligations.
but the council "always" fail to remember its obligation to do things such as making sure that kerbside sewers are regularly checked and if need be
unblock those which are blocked with dirt and soil.
you can surely understand Why I and many other people feel like we are being taken for fools by the Council.
The council regularly pleads poverty and is super fast to resort to closing down libraries and parks and forcing elderly people to move into care homes etc,
but they always manage to make sure they pay themselves huge amounts
while leaving the people in want.
and of course when they want and expect to be re elected
they do the rounds and make sure all the convenient photos are taken and posted to make themselves look like they are oh so caring and selfless.
and once they get what they want
they ignore the people and when people write to them they rarely if ever receive a response.
for good reason I feel fed up and depressed and very frustrated.
the double standards, greed, indifference and hypocrisy in The London Borough of Brent is Breathtaking.
How Brent council is able to get away with what they do and fail to do is beyond me
but in light of what happened in tower hamlets recently
it is safe to say that natural Justice will intervene in due course so that indifferent and hypocrite Councillors are removed
in order for to be replaced by people (if such people exist?) that will put the interests of the environment and the people first.
ProblemNeighbours Editor 18/06/2015 at 11:53 am
@ted. Is this a shared access route you're asking about?
ted 13/06/2015 at 7:16 pm
I am having difficulty obtaining access ,due to nettles logs of wood ,overgrown pathway which belongs to my neighbour who refuses to clear same ,I am unable to clean my outside windows or access the gas meter which is outside . Do I have rights ? at my wits end with him.
ProblemNeighbours Editor 10/06/2015 at 1:00 pm
@bigwull. Try contacting the Environment Agency , this is something they can take action against.
big wull 06/06/2015 at 10:32 pm
i have a house in the country all my drainage runs into the fields next door where it runs into a open ditch the farmer has fallen out with all the villagers and filled the ditch with soil to block it and now my garden floods all the time when asked the farmer laughed at us and said he was going to flood us out ?
where do we stand ?
big W
db 23/05/2015 at 7:56 am
We have recently bought a house, since moving in were noticed our adjoining neighbour has had an extension built in the past and just linked in to out soil pip on our property. No other houses in the neighborhood have shared and we're not really happy about this, is there anything we can do?
ProblemNeighbours Editor 08/05/2015 at 2:40 pm
@admuniono Contact your landlord or management company. They will know who is respsonsible for which drains etc
aduminio 04/05/2015 at 12:36 am
I live in a block of flats on the first floor and there is a drain running from upstairs to me then downstairs and to the main sewer, the drain is blocked and water is backing up into my sink who will be responsible and how will it get unblocked if the blockage is high up along the pipe? It is a rented property
ProblemNeighbours Editor 17/04/2015 at 11:54 am
@Dinah. It depends on whether the pipe was already broken. What has the company said they'll do about it?
Dinah 16/04/2015 at 4:48 pm
I have a blocked toilet drain,called the water company for help,when he put the rod down the main opening,instead of turning rod to the left opening where the blockage was he just hit the base of pipe,causing it to smash,the problem is now worse than before.so who is now responsable for mending this pipe?
ProblemNeighbours Editor 13/04/2015 at 12:15 pm
@maxthegerman. If this is sewage then you should contact your local authority. They will investigate and take action to recover any necessary costs from your neighbour if improvements need to be made.
maxthegerman 10/04/2015 at 11:23 am
In my drive is a sewer which services my toilet and neighbours toilet. Since they have had a new toilet with economy flush it constantly get blocked...... Had enough now of forever having to unblock.... It is definitely their pipe that backs up then ours has nowhere to go.... They are aware of the problem but it is not resolved after unblocking again today.... (Its a monthly issue)
ProblemNeighbours Editor 09/03/2015 at 11:05 am
@Colly. Contact your local water company for advice on this.
colly 05/03/2015 at 12:56 pm
please could someone answer Colly about linking in to a public sewer. Thanks
colly 04/03/2015 at 6:01 pm
Hi we live in a detached property which we built 20 yrs ago at the time the neighbour at the end of the terrace said we could join into the main sewer as they were the last house however when house completed refused for us to do so .left with no option we had a septic tank . We would like to connect to the sewer as we will be down sizing and with the ability to connect to main sewer be more attractive for buyers. Our new neighbour has no objections. How do we approach this? Thanks
ProblemNeighbours Editor 27/02/2015 at 11:38 am
@kathy What kind of pipes? Are they above ground?
Kathy 24/02/2015 at 8:18 pm
Whos is responsible for frozen pipes running down a county road?

Thanks Kat
ProblemNeighbours Editor 22/01/2015 at 2:27 pm
@J was any agreement drawn up at the time of the neighbour's garage being built? If not then now you are probably jointly responsible.
j 20/01/2015 at 6:42 pm
my neighbor had a garage attached to the side of their house, this lead to having to lay their utility pipe underneath our driveway so as it can still join onto the stop tap positioned at the end of our driveways, however there is now a leak, water utilities have been out and confirmed it is from their side and we have been asked permission for our driveway to (if need be) be dug up to get to it, we are willing to accept this because we want to be reasonable, however the neighbor is asking us to pay half, just wondering if they have a right to, it is their responsibility with it being their pipe that needs fixing?
ProblemNeighbours Editor 05/01/2015 at 10:20 am
@Daniel. Glad to be of use and that you find this information helpful.
Daniel 29/12/2014 at 10:07 am
Well Shared! Almost everyone is going to experience a clogged drain in their home any time. Some time people are suffering from a neighbour drainage issue and they are not ready to pay for it when it's time to repair. Your post gives some useful tips to handle such situation.
ash 23/12/2014 at 11:12 am
I have a detached house and my manhole got blocked, water comapny said its a private sewer so it not there problem, after spending £300 getting it unblocked same problem happened again, at first water comapny said its there problem then it was not there problem, I have had five different crews come and have a look at the manhole not one of them spotted that the problem was being caused by a pipe form a neighbours property which was depositng soil/dirt in the manhole. When a builder who was working on my house pointed out the cause of the problem to the water comapny crew they all agreed the cause of the problem.

But water company is insisting that its not got nothing to do with them because the pipe connected to my manhole form neighbours property is not active an they have no records of the drain pipe on there records .

I have asked them to investigate where the pipe is coming from because I belive its a shared drain because there is connection form a neighbouring property.

Am i wasting my time or do I take the problem to OFWAT?
ProblemNeighbours Editor 23/10/2014 at 2:50 pm
@Lenny. Firstly write to the landlord explaining the problem. Then write again if nothing has been done and say that you are going to contact your local council. Next write to the council explaining about the flooding issues and potential safety problems. You could also consider withholding your rent until the problem has been solved. Be sure to keep the rent that you don't pay to one side, so you can clear any arrears when the shower has been mended. If all that fails you should consider court action if you feel that the issue warrants the expense and the stress.
LENNY 21/10/2014 at 4:55 pm
could you give me some advice please.We currently rent our property from a private letting agency,every time we have a shower or use the sink the driveway becomes flooded, i have been to the agency and told them about this and they said it is ongoing,this was about two months ago now and nothing has happened, the real problem will begin when the temperature drops and the driveway becomes frozen, because the drive is on a large incline and it could become very dangerous,if you could give me some advice i would be very appreciative.
ProblemNeighbours Editor 10/09/2014 at 11:35 am
@None. Without all the facts we can't be sure, but from what you've told us, yes your neighbour should allow this. Contact your local water company or EHO to issue a notice if you cannot resolve this amicably.
None 10/09/2014 at 10:52 am
I have built an extension conservatory .i have a solid brick wall between myself and next door. I built and gave next door all the shared drain. The neighbours are refusing to let me attach a down pipe to my own wall entering the shared drain. Saying the pipe is on her property. It is the only drain we have , can I go ahead and attach it and use the shared drain. .? Is this my right?
jj 09/09/2014 at 8:38 pm
Hi,

I have recently purchased a property with a private sewer (in my side of the land) shared by the house next to mine.
During the refurbishment of my property attention went into a bay window where a 2cm inclination was noticed.
Next to the bay window is the gutter pipe going into the sewer and a structural engineer recommended me to check the sewer pipe to make sure all was ok.
The check reported a broken pipe and a blocked sewer and inevitably the soil surround it was very wet. (Subsidence?)
The pipe was replaced with a new one rapidly , but now clearly I don't know for how many years this pipe was broken, surely long enough to weaken the foundation of my bay window.

At this stage I would like to know if my neighbour is 50% responsible to pay for the work I have payed fully to fix the sewer and if he is also 50% responsible to pay the work that I would need to do to underpin my bay window so to stop the subsidence.

Any comment would help.

Cheers.
gail 31/08/2014 at 12:32 pm
Hi i was wondering if you can help i live with a communal
Back garden there is a drain which just drains rain water
But is blocking up with the mud that goes down
Who is responsable to get it cleared any help thanks
A-general plumbing 02/08/2014 at 12:00 pm
You are right guys!! I also get irritated from neighbors when this kind of Drain Cleaning problems are occurred, they are never ready to take responsibility of it. nobody at-least do call to service Provider and cant talk about contribution of Payment.. they never want to participate.. I also faced the above same scenario that drainage in my area in which three homes are included. i was actually panic.. But you guys helped me through this article which will work something.. Thanks for sharing your opinions and experience among neighbours!! please give more solutions if anybody have..
asarichan 04/07/2014 at 8:47 am
hi, my neighbours had constructed pipeline which is made above our boundarywall. i utilize my area for the contsruct of boundary& not even a single inch of my neighbour area & i have payed for the construct of boundary, they refuse to pay for a Boundary wall.that is not a problem. the problem is my neighbour have one floor house & they have construct pipeline above my boundary wall. the pipe is of 4inch which is exactly cover my entire my boundary wall. they are not at all cooperative & they dominate us. PLEASE SUGGEST ME WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW!
planner 18/06/2014 at 10:47 am
HI Lucy, I'm surprised you've found no joy with United Utilities and/or the Highways dept. Perhaps you could try and find out who owns the land? Often when land is transferred or sold, you'll find details of wayleaves and easements relating to the land and indicating where pipes are etc. Try the land registry?
Crowdriver 02/06/2014 at 10:00 am
Water from my neighbours down pipe runs into my garden also when he washes his vehicles it runs into my garden.
glinda asprey 31/03/2014 at 5:29 pm
i purchest a bangerlow and found out it was built over a sewer pipe that is not mine i was never told as my soliter never dun a water search please could you tell me who would be responsable,, for this if it needed repair
In despair 09/08/2013 at 1:02 pm
Hi . I bought the house I currently live in 6 years ago . for the past few years the property has been getting flooded 2 to 3 inches deep or maybe more on the entrance area of the house . At times the water was penetrating under the cills to the door and caused the laminate flooring to warp black mould on the skirting board and inner reveals . Anyway we discovered the three drains on the property got blocked . From the household waste ie drainage / sewerage coming from houses uphill to me . Anyway we got welsh water out to unblock drains 4/5 times . I pointed out the problem of penetrating water they took a look and a few photos . Of the wrong places I may add . And told me surface water was nothing to do with them and to getting in touch with local authority . Which I did to no avail ! . So last autum i had the doors replaced and new cills . At my own expense of cause I had to protect my property. The fitters told me that the water had saturated the cills penetrated into the cavity and water has laying in the cavity causing the smell of damp / mould Damaging flooring and boards . So I've verbally pointed this problem out also adding I have no drainage for rain water on this side of the property were problem is but either side is willing to take responsibility or give me a satisfactory solution to this problem . Any ideas ? In despair .
donald 04/08/2013 at 12:30 pm
I have a shared septic tank with 3 other houses. The tank and most of the pipework is on my land and needs to be replaced along with that on my neighbours property. How is the cost to be proportioned?
baz 29/07/2013 at 8:18 pm
Hi I have water drainage problems to my house( Owner) due to water
collection from neighbours (2) via their driveway and blocked drains
which then feeds to my drain causing flooding
I have had talks with both occupiers regards they could be responsible
for their drains to be cleared to stop my garage and rear conservatory
being being flooded this has happened and carpet tiles wooden flooring
underlays and carpets to which I have a insurance claim in for replacement
one neighbour seems oblivious and the other claims to made contact
with a drain repair
we all live in a cul de sac 7 houses were all flooded through their garages
due to very heavy storms we are living in lower plain area
would you kindly suggest what I can to amend this problem
regards jbh
ianjpr 01/12/2012 at 11:32 pm
Your advice neglects the change to the law affecting ownership of private sewers and lateral drains and which came into effect on October 1st 2011.

The legislation in question is -

Water Industry (Schemes for Adoption of Private Sewers) Regulations 2011 - more commonly referred to as the "transfer regulations".
arty 01/10/2012 at 3:22 pm
TWO YEARS AGO MY NEIGHBOUR SLABBED A FAIRLY LARGE AREA OF HIS GARDEN ON ONE LEVEL ,AND THEN BLOCK PAVED HIS BACKYARD ON A LOWER LEVEL.WE LIVE ON A SLIGHT GRADIENT, MY PROPERTY BEIING LOWER,AND SINCE COMPLETION WE HAVE BEEN GETTING WATER FROM HIS PROPERTY RESULTING A POOLS OF WATER IN MY ENTRY. IHAVE SPOKEN TO HIM BUT HE IS SAYING THAT ITS COMING OFF MY BACKYARD (WHICH IT IS NOT.)IS HE LIABLE, AND, IS HE REQUIRED TO PUT IT RIGHT,ALSO CAN I TAKE ACTION IF HE FAILS TO REMEDY IT.
Alan Barnes 11/09/2012 at 12:17 am
I am planning on putting up a dividing fence & gate I have consulted the owner of the adjacent property & agreed where the fence shall go. What I would like to know is have I got a legal obligation to put the best side of the fence to face onto the neighbours property.Your sincerelyAlan Barnes
jet 06/04/2011 at 11:38 am
I have water entering my bungalow from below ground, I have had my drains and water supply checked, they are sound. If rain water or spring water is comming onto my property from the county owned road, are they obliged to prevent this. Our problem has existed since december 2010, and we are pumping gallons of water from beneath our property twice a day every day.

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