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private sewers in England and Wales were transferred to water companies, so a lot of older advice on this topic is now out of date.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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Try our Drainage Responsibility Checker free, here on this site →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.
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?
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
Thank you
Backyard now is damaged. Can I get compensation
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.
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?
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.
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
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.
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.
Is there anything we or Yorkshire water etc can do.
Best regards Nigel and Paula.
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.
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
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?
I’m not sure if we are responsible for it as our service have no connection to this section.
Any advice please
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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?
Is the Environmental Health Office responsible to force my neighbour to solve the problem?
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
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
Any answer would be ever so appreciated.
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
Who is responsible for the clearing and repair of this drain?
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?
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?
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?
Who is responsible? Them or the Management company to have a look?!
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 ?
I'm now worried about what is going to happen can he evict me over this ?
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 ?
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?
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?
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.
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
I would appreciate any advice ? Thanks
Nafeesa.
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
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.
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!
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.
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?
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 ?
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,
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?
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
I have no problems at all.
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.
where do we stand ?
big W
Thanks Kat
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?
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.
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
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
The legislation in question is -
Water Industry (Schemes for Adoption of Private Sewers) Regulations 2011 - more commonly referred to as the "transfer regulations".
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