Blocked drain

InhaleMood

Our external drain has been blocked twice in the last year and the issue seems to be too much toilet roll being used by the neighbours.
It's on our property so it's our responsibility.
Is there anything we can do if it is our neighbour who keeps causing the problem?

jonnydeppiwish!

How is it your responsibility if your neighbour is blocking it? If the drain has both yours and your neighbour crud going through it, in most cases it’s a sewer and the local water company is responsible.

cymruchris

Are you sure it's your responsibility? Usually shared drains passing over your property are the water company's responsibility. Who's your water provider?

GrahamLM52

If it is a shared drain it is not your responsibility. If the affected drain is shared, it is the responsibility of the local Water Authority, for example Thames Water or Anglian Water.

I share my drain with my neighbour. All the inspection covers are on my side. He kept blocking the drain and I kept paying for it to be fixed. Then I found out that shared drains are the responsibility of the local water authority, even if the drains and inspection covers are on my property.

The neighbour still keeps blocking the drain, but now I just call out the water board and do not pay a thing.

See: https://drainhub.uk/shared-drains-whos-responsibility-is-it-anyway/

InhaleMood

Ah, interesting. I was told that it was a private drain. I'll call on Tuesday, fingers crossed!

Section62

GrahamLM52 said:

If it is a shared drain it is not your responsibility. If the affected drain is shared, it is the responsibility of the local Water Authority, for example Thames Water or Anglian Water.

Not always - the drain has to "communicate" with a public sewer for it to be a publc sewer itself.  So shared drainage that goes to a private treatment plant, or soakaway, or outfall to a ditch (as examples) would not be the responsibility of the water company.

A pipe which only serves one property (i.e. not shared) will also usually be a public sewer if it "communicates" with a public sewer but is in someone else's land - i.e. it becomes public where it crosses from the first property into a second one.

InhaleMood

I'm not sure if this explains it better. The manhole (in blue) is the one that is blocked. It drains to us and to the front of the property I believe.

Section62

InhaleMood said:

I'm not sure if this explains it better. The manhole (in blue) is the one that is blocked. It drains to us and to the front of the property I believe.

So where is the blockage?  If it is on your side of the fence then it would be your responsibility.  But you could complain to the water company if the cause is your neighbour's waste 'backing up' into your pipe.

Does the outlet pipe from the manhole flow freely, or is there water standing in the manhole?

njkmr

You may find that in a row of terrace houses with the drains starting at one end and serving all the row, and the problem , blockage is under one the terrace house front garden then they will tell you it's the home owners responsibility as it's on the house owners land. It has not actually reached the main sewer so it's up to the house owner.
Had that with my mother's house.

InhaleMood

Section62 said:

InhaleMood said:

I'm not sure if this explains it better. The manhole (in blue) is the one that is blocked. It drains to us and to the front of the property I believe.

So where is the blockage?  If it is on your side of the fence then it would be your responsibility.  But you could complain to the water company if the cause is your neighbour's waste 'backing up' into your pipe.

Does the outlet pipe from the manhole flow freely, or is there water standing in the manhole?

The blockage is in the manhole not on our side and water is not moving freely.
I guess it's probably easiest to call Severn Trent and hope they are helpful

Section62

InhaleMood said:

Section62 said:

InhaleMood said:

I'm not sure if this explains it better. The manhole (in blue) is the one that is blocked. It drains to us and to the front of the property I believe.

So where is the blockage?  If it is on your side of the fence then it would be your responsibility.  But you could complain to the water company if the cause is your neighbour's waste 'backing up' into your pipe.

Does the outlet pipe from the manhole flow freely, or is there water standing in the manhole?

The blockage is in the manhole not on our side and water is not moving freely.
I guess it's probably easiest to call Severn Trent and hope they are helpful

So if the manhole drains to a public sewer then it will be ST's responsibility - the blockage is likely to be downstream of the manhole before it enters the main sewer in the street.

You don't need to wait until Tuesday to call them - they will have a 24hour line to report blockages.