Neighbours soil pipe connecting to mine

Davesnave

cessna wrote: »

Do you think the planning department would have a thought in this? The thing is with a little more effort he could direct the pipe to his manhole in his garden.

I expect the situation was really "with a little more money he could have connected to his own drain.'



It may be that he was hinting, and you didn't take the hint.


It will probably still be cheaper to re-route the pipe for him than attempt a legal challenge. The result will be certain too.

Robin9

It's a common arrangement. House built 1973

My neighbours waste runs into a manhole on my land which also takes my waste - then out to the main sewer in the road.

The waste on the other side of my house runs into the other neighbour's manhols.

roger-w5

Services crossing neighbouring properties is often a nightmare.

Who is responsible for any shared pipe maintenance,they can get blocked or fall into disrepair all costing a lot of cash and inconvenience !

Davesnave

genau wrote: »

Does it fall on one particular party to prove use or to disprove use?

I know with water that is a separate law that covers it and if you disconnect the water then it's illegal

The party enjoying the 'easement by prescription' is the one that needs to have evidence of continuous use, in the same way someone claiming adverse possession, or a certificate of lawful development will have to prove use for particular lengths of time.


For example, a neighbour has a septic tank outflow on my land which it's possible to trace back to a time over 20 years ago, so I can't get rid of it, even though there's no agreement on paper. But as you suggest, there would be practical downsides in taking unilateral action and cutting the pipe, so it would be unwise for me to do that, or for the OP to do something similar.


Cutting off a water supply is something different in that it makes a house 'uninhabitable,' which is why water companies don't usually do it.

moneyistooshorttomention

I've got an idea that some things at least now require 40 years (instead of 20) - think there was a recent law change? - before neighbour might be able to start claiming "prescriptive easement".

Worth checking.

Davesnave

genau wrote: »

Very interesting post thank you. I believe there's a specific law about disconnecting someones water supply even if it goes over your land/property without an easement. I'm not sure if it's criminal or civil but I think it's a civil law

I don't know, but I might have found out, as we nearly rammed a 20cm post through the entire village supply with a tractor-mounted post basher. Only a hollow noise when we probed the site with a pointed rod gave it away, and dowsing confirmed it's some metres from where the water company place it on the map they supplied.

Davesnave

Yes, dowsing works. Don't know why. It's pretty easy with a large pipe or electricity cable to find, but harder with small springs/underground water courses, and those can move too, confusing matters. Haven't tried it with anything else.

moneyistooshorttomention

Davesnave wrote: »

Yes, dowsing works. Don't know why. It's pretty easy with a large pipe or electricity cable to find, but harder with small springs/underground water courses, and those can move too, confusing matters. Haven't tried it with anything else.

...and, for those wishing to have a go, Amazon stocks virtually everything (including choice of dowsing rods these days) - albeit rather dearer than the £3/£4 odd I paid for a pair a few years ago.

Or you could make your own from a pair of old metal clotheshangers bent into shape and with the outer casing of those cheapie biros as a handle on the bits one holds:)

Davesnave

I have found a bit of thick fencing wire bent to a rough right angle works fine, if just held loosely.


Sometimes, it works better than other times, but I know where most cables and pipes are are now, so haven't dowsed in a while.

Davesnave

genau wrote: »

How actually does it work though? Is it metaphysical? Actual some type of psychic phenomena?

Davesnave wrote: »

Yes, dowsing works. Don't know why......

......................:)