How do I know if I have to pay surface water drainage costs?

Jonesy88

As the title suggests, I'm confused over whether we should be paying for surface water drainage. I've seen various threads but to be honest, they have confused me even more!

We live in a mid terraced property, built in 2005. The confusion started when a work colleague said that as we don't have a drainpipe (it goes into our neighbours) then we might be entitled to have our bills reduced. I've looked on the net and the issue seems to involve soakaways? I have no clue what these are!

Our property has a small manhole cover in our front garden, as do all our neighbours. It also has however a huge manhole cover in the back garden, which I believe predates the house. Our house it built on a slight slope which runs away from the huge manhole cover.

Our supplier is Severn Trent.

Can anybody shed some light on this for me?

Thanks

Cardew

A soakaway is essentially a large pit that is normally dug when the house is built and then filled with rubble and covered with topsoil. It could be under your garden, or one soakaway for several houses. Unless you were present during building you would be unlikely to know where they were situated.

The surface water from gutters etc drain into that soakaway.

Planning permission for house built in 2005 would usually have not allowed surface water to enter sewers if avoidable. You could check with the Council Planning department.

Your best bet with Severn Trent is to draw a sketch of your property and indicate a location of the soakaway - the location being the one the builder you met down the pub told you about!!

They can come and inspect your property - but probably won't bother.