Sewage adoption Southern Water

Sue11

Hi everyone
How complicated can something get? My daughter has moved into a block of flats which sewage system is adjoined to five other blocks before adjoining the main sewer system on a private piece of land. In 2010/2011 the government deemed that these sewage systems if more than one block is on the same sytem should be adopted and therefore be the responsibility of the water companies. This was not picked up by the Ressidents Association so nothing as yet has been done. On investigating this I have found that there is an initial cost of applying, £386, the guy then said there is an additional cost for actual adoption which they say the residents have to pay. Would anyone have any idea how much this could be as the guy couldn't give me an answer.
Sue

thozza

The process for adoption of private sewers was automatic, the guidance states:

On 1 October 2011 all privately owned sewers and lateral drains which
communicate with (that is drain to) an existing public sewer as at 1 July 2011
will become the responsibility of the sewerage undertaker – normally the
water and sewerage company for the area.

The only systems which did not transfer were 'private' systems (e.g. septic tanks), 'drains' (connecting the property to the now public sewer) and systems where the landowner appealed against the transfer, if the owners of the land have not appealed, then the sewers will have been adopted, so it is unclear about why the water company are asking for payment?

The full DEFRA guidance can be downloaded here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-private-sewers-transfer-regulations

Clause 22 applies to residential blocks, the diagram below the clause illustrates what has now been adopted.