Downstairs toilet glugging

casper_gutman

Pipework that is both (i) within your boundary and also (ii) carries only waste water from your own property is your responsibility to clear and maintain. Pipework that is outside your boundary (even if it only carries your waste) or carries waste from more than one property (even if it's within your boundary) is the responsibility of the company that operates the sewer network in your area. This is often, but not always, the same company that supplies your water. You may see them referred to as your "sewerage undertaker".

There's a plan here that's quite good at showing which pipes are your responsibility and which are someone else's: Sewer pipe responsibility | Sewer flooding | Thames Water

calleyw

casper_gutman said:

Pipework that is both (i) within your boundary and also (ii) carries only waste water from your own property is your responsibility to clear and maintain. Pipework that is outside your boundary (even if it only carries your waste) or carries waste from more than one property (even if it's within your boundary) is the responsibility of the company that operates the sewer network in your area. This is often, but not always, the same company that supplies your water. You may see them referred to as your "sewerage undertaker".

There's a plan here that's quite good at showing which pipes are your responsibility and which are someone else's: Sewer pipe responsibility | Sewer flooding | Thames Water

We are a set of terrace houses and I am on the end.  My sewage pipe leads in to next door garden and their manhole. The manhole being outside of the back door

So looking at the plan mentioned above being the first means its all mine to maintain up to the boundary of my property?

I am well aware I have one supplier for water and sewerage.  I might have chat with them to see if I can get sewage map of the set of houses

Belenus

calleyw said:

Belenus said:

Have you considered contacting whoever takes away your sewage? That may or may not be the same company that supplies your water. Portsmouth Water supply our water but Southern Water are responsible for sewage.

We had a not dissimilar issue a few weeks ago. The inspection chamber in front of the house was blocked with a build up of toilet tissue etc. I could not clear it myself so I called Southern Water. They came the following morning and cleared it at no charge.

Your company may take a different approach but it is worth a phone call to ask the question.

I was always under the impression that what ever pipe work that was in the boundaries of my property were my responsbility to clear and maintain

So was I and that may well be the case but Southern Water made no mention of charging or it being my responsibility on this occasion. 

The inspection chamber is well within my property boundary.

It was a Sunday and I initially rang a number of emergency drainage companies, none of whom could attend until the Monday and all wanted high call out charges.

I decided to call Southern Water to see if they could help more quickly, expecting to have to pay, but they said they would send someone within 24 hours and made no mention of a charge. 

Maybe I got lucky or maybe they will eventually send me a bill.

Try asking your sewage company and see what they say. You might get lucky too.

Belenus

casper_gutman said:

Pipework that is both (i) within your boundary and also (ii) carries only waste water from your own property is your responsibility to clear and maintain. Pipework that is outside your boundary (even if it only carries your waste) or carries waste from more than one property (even if it's within your boundary) is the responsibility of the company that operates the sewer network in your area. This is often, ......

That may be why I was not charged.

Our house is detached. Three sewage/drainage pipes leave the front of the house and meet in an inspection chamber a few feet in front of our house. This is the black square cover on the left in the picture.

A pipe then goes to another inspection chamber on our neighbours property. This is the black square cover under the white pot on the right in the picture. That is purely an inspection chamber. Nothing from next door also goes there.

The pipe then continues to a third chamber a few feet out of the picture where next door's pipes all merge.

The two chambers in the picture, which carry my waste only, were both blocked so some of the blockage was not directly on my property.

The man from Southern Water first tried to clear my chamber with no success. He then opened up the chamber next door under the white pot and cleared that successfully. As that emptied, so thankfully did my chamber and all was ok again.