Drains and Sewers

Drains and sewers are the pipes which carry foul waste and surface water away from one or more houses.

A private drain serves just one property and is the owner's responsibility to unblock or repair.

 

A private sewer serves a number of properties and depending on the age of the properties may be the responsibility of the owner or Southern Water to unblock or repair.

 

If the private sewer is serving a row of properties which were built after 1937 it is the owner's responsibility. Southern Water may have responsibility for private sewers built before 1937. The deeds of your property will tell you when your home was built.

A public sewer is the main sewer to which private sewers and drains are connected. Southern Water has the sole responsibility for maintenance and repairs to public sewers which are usually located under roads.

 

You will usually know when something has gone wrong with your drainage system because your waste will stop going away when you flush the toilet, or the gullies or inspection covers outside overflow.

 

Sometimes with a private sewer which is carrying the waste away from several houses in a row, your neighbours may know that there is a problem before you do.

 

Everyone who shares a private sewer is jointly responsible for sorting out any problems. This can be very expensive as drains and sewers are situated underground which means it can be hard to find what and where the problem is.

 

We can help resolve drainage problems affecting several properties. This usually means we have to serve a legal notice on those responsible for maintaining the drain or sewer. This takes time and it is much quicker for everyone responsible to get together and agree to deal with the problem.