Sewer Drain problem in street

Lady_K

Just wanted to ask do the council charge people for drain sewer problems?

Apparently we have a problem on my side of the street, my nieghbour has been onto my property several times this year to see if there is anything he can do through the manhole in front of my garage, he has managed to put it right before now without getting the council out. I don't notice anything in my house at all he just comes and tells me.

Last night he came round again and had a look but today the council have come round asking me which way the drain runs, I don't know so I said run some water down it to see but he said its too blocked up at the moment but he would be back later tonight to see.

Also the house joined onto me has just told the council men that he has a garage built over his manhole so they couldnt look down it, is this legal? I'm a bit concerned if that might have caused any of these blockage problems somehow as the drainage problems have only started since he moved in and had the garage done about a year ago. I've been here 20 years without any problems so I don't know why we have these problems now

latecomer

I think its illegal to block a manhole, it should have been relocated. But I dont think that in itself would cause a problem.

I'm not sure where the delineation is between your responsibility and that of the council although I'm sure someone else will be able to tell you.

EliteHeat

I think they charge private households but will not charge council tenants.

rosie-lee

Not asking to be nosey but
is it waste water that is the problem?
do you live in a semi and if you do, do you have the rainwater gutter and drain on your side?

I only ask because we had a problem some years ago. If these apply to you, I will dig out the paperwork for you to advise. Because of some technicality, section something or other, the council (we own our house), were responsibile. It saved me thousands, honestly and they liaised with the water board etc. Problem went away and I can't speak highly enough of the way it was dealt with.

Lady_K

I'm in a private house, I'm not sure which waste it is all I know is they look down the manhole.

I live in a semi detached. At the back of my house the rainwater downpipes go either side of the gutter one at the detached end and one in the middle of each of our houses but on my side. Next door has one downpipe at the detached end. These drain into the sewer apparently, the same place where the manhole is they look into.

At the front of my house it again has pipes each end of the gutter running into my drain hole which I think go into one of those soak things rather than drain.

When we have this drain problem it effects a lot of houses down my side of the street the sewer is shared. I don't notice anything though so I don't know where the problem is coming from but I think its further up the road.

The council said they were coming back tonight I don't know why they would come back at night time rather than sort the problem then

lovethymini

My husband has worked in the water industry for 20 years and I have asked him for his opinion on this;-

He thinks that the situation sounds like a "shared sewer". The responsibilities are defined by who uses the section of pipe which has the blockage. Therefore, anyone who is upstream of the blockage has an equal responsibility for it's repair.

Your neighbour who has built a garage over his manhole has not broken the law, but has probably infringed a waste water act. It is also quite likely that if he has buried his manhole, he didn't divert the sewer around the new structure, thus any settlement of his foundations is likely to have broken the sewer pipe, resulting in the blockage.

If the council has become involved, they would have to inform you of any costs they intend to recoup before they do the work.

HTH

Lady_K

The council came round with a great big lorry thing and did something down the manhole. The council man didnt say anything about charge but they still didnt know which way it ran at that time so maybe that makes a difference. He didnt come back to tell me what the results were either so I don't know if the problem is cured or what.