Blocked sewer in Mum's garden

Yorkie1234

Hi,

I wonder if anyone can help. My mum lives in the middle of a row of terraced houses which were build in about 1900. Her waste water drains into the sewer which runs along the row of houses. It keeps getting blocked and waste is leaking into her garden.

She's previously paid (twice) for someone to come out and get it unblocked. It's now blocked again and at £100 a time doesn't want to pay again as it looks like there's baby wipes doing the blocking which as my mum is 83 and lives alone doesn't use!

She's phoned Yorkshire water who say it's not their resonsibility, and the local council (ROtherham) who say it's not theirs. The neighbours all rent and won't contribute.

From looking on the internet it seems that she is responsible for her drains but when it meets the shared sewer it becomes shared responsibility of all the house that use that sewer. And in October it will become the responsibility of Yorkshire Water. Is this correct?

I also read that the council can clear the blockage and then invoice all the houses that use it so that the cost is shared. Or that the environmental health dept can get involved. Does anyone know if this is correct? My mum doesn't mind paying a share but not the whole cost.

Many thanks

JUlie

macman

A shared drain is the responsibility of the water authority in properties built before 1937. Get YW to carry out their duties. It's nothing to do with the LA.
A word with her local councillor may help if they are recalcitrant.
And maybe ask the owner of the baby to make other arrangements?

stef73

Our house is also a 1900 terrace house as macman has said its the water authoritys responsibility , ring them and ask about section 37 sewers . I have a email from united utiliies stating its there responsibilty and a number to call if it blocks again . When you speak to them make sure they put a camera down as you have said its blocked now 3 times . I would also advise you to email or write you YW to get written confirmation that they are responsible for maintainance and upkeep as i have done with united utilities.

Yorkie1234

Thanks for your replies. I'm going to get in touch with Yorkshire Water and get confirmation about this to pass onto my mum in case it gets blocked again. I wonder if, when she rang them, she didn't tell them the age of the house as I believe it's different if they were built post 1937.

GlynD

I'm concerned that Yorkshire Water want paid to carry out the work on the "under street" shared sewer. That's why your mum pays water and sewage charges as part of her Council Tax bill. In my opinion she shouldn't be charged. I would speak to my local MP about that.

macman

GlynD wrote: »

I'm concerned that Yorkshire Water want paid to carry out the work on the "under street" shared sewer. That's why your mum pays water and sewage charges as part of her Council Tax bill. In my opinion she shouldn't be charged. I would speak to my local MP about that.

Water and sewerage charges are paid to your water authority. Nothing to do with your Council Tax, or your LA.
The blockage is in a shared drain on private land that crosses the gardens, not in the street sewer.
For a pre-1937 property the water authority have a statutory duty to fix it.

GlynD

macman wrote: »

Water and sewerage charges are paid to your water authority. Nothing to do with your Council Tax, or your LA.
The blockage is in a shared drain on private land that crosses the gardens, not in the street sewer.
For a pre-1937 property the water authority have a statutory duty to fix it.

The water and sewage charges are billed on your annual Council Tax bill and appear as such. If it's on private land then it will have to be paid for. I'd check with her home insurer though to see if the policy covers it - it did mine.

Gothicfairy

GlynD wrote: »

The water and sewage charges are billed on your annual Council Tax bill and appear as such. If it's on private land then it will have to be paid for. I'd check with her home insurer though to see if the policy covers it - it did mine.

They really are NOT charged on your council tax and haven't been for years...(about 20 ish, although some councils still have bulk supplies for flats but that is rare)

I am afraid the above is just not true at all...

The water company should do the work for you but they might well not have the details on file of the age of property so when someone rings they just go into the normal speach.
I would actually write to them and include a copy of the deeds if possible so that they can sort it out once and for all.
Also get them to reply in writing so when it happens again you only need refer back to the letter nad job done.

You really need to write to "ops customer service " which is slightly different to the normal billing customer service (they will hold no details about the work etc)

jonnyd281

GlynD wrote: »

The water and sewage charges are billed on your annual Council Tax bill and appear as such. If it's on private land then it will have to be paid for. I'd check with her home insurer though to see if the policy covers it - it did mine.

Where do you live? Mine are paid to Anglian Water on my water bill.

First line is Water, second line is sewage etc.

Gothicfairy

It does not happen in the UK, it might in Ireland or Scotland ?

GlynD

Gothicfairy wrote: »

They really are NOT charged on your council tax and haven't been for years...(about 20 ish, although some councils still have bulk supplies for flats but that is rare)

I am afraid the above is just not true at all...

The water company should do the work for you but they might well not have the details on file of the age of property so when someone rings they just go into the normal speach.
I would actually write to them and include a copy of the deeds if possible so that they can sort it out once and for all.
Also get them to reply in writing so when it happens again you only need refer back to the letter nad job done.

You really need to write to "ops customer service " which is slightly different to the normal billing customer service (they will hold no details about the work etc)

They really are charged on SOME Council Tax bills. I could copy mine and let you see if you and I were going to be really pedantic about it, which I hope we're not. Shall we settle this by saying that water and sewage ARE billed on SOME Council Tax bills but apparantly not in Yorkshire?

I agree that the water company could do the work and bill each consumer separately. That would take the onus from OP's mother to organise it. In my case I phoned my insurer and they did the work.