is there meant to be muddy water at the bottom of a manhole?

csnann

I have been having trouble with my drains, the gully from my kitchen empties very slowly and the toilet does not flush properly - the water rises up the bowl before it empties. I tried caustic soda a couple of times, but it made no difference. I lifted up the manhole to see if it was blocked, it had a bit of muddy water at the bottom and when I ran the tap the level rose before going down to a few inches deep. Is this normal? The sewer is that runs from house to house is emtying, but very slowly. Who should I contact about this? I live in a council flat, the drain from my side serves 2 flats and there are 2 next door that seem to share the sewer.

macman

If it's a shared drain, then it's the responsibility of the local water utility.

csnann

I have been looking on the council website and it seems they may be responsible for fixing it, I have made a report of it, I will wait and see what they say.