Drainage and Sewerage
Drainage and Sewerage
The foul and surface water drainage from a
house normally discharges to underground pipes that join the main
sewer owned by the relevant water/sewerage company.
The main sewer is usually located in the
road.
Prior to 1 October 2011 it was the
responsibility of the home owner to maintain and repair drains
(underground pipes serving one house) and private sewers
(underground pipes serving more than one house). Since drains
and private sewers can travel a considerable distance under private
gardens, footpaths, verges and the width of a road, it was often
difficult to ensure that home owners were fully aware of their
individual and collective responsibility.
After 1 October 2011 this unsatisfactory
situation will be largely resolved as the responsibility to
maintain and repair private sewers will transfer to Southern
Water.
For drains, the home owner will only retain
responsibility for the maintenance and repair of underground pipes
located within the property boundary. Once the drain enters
land outside the property boundary it is referred to as a ‘lateral
drain’ and this section of underground pipes will also be
maintained and repaired by Southern Water.
Charges
Home owners with properties discharging to a
public sewerage system will pay charges to the relevant sewerage
company. In the Ashford Borough Council area Southern Water
is the relevant sewerage company.
Any problems involving the public sewerage
system can be reported to Southern Water by telephone (0845 278
0845).
If you are reporting a problem please ensure
that you know your postcode.
General Advice to Help Prevent
Blockages
- Don’t pour fat down drains; this is often the cause of
blockages. Wipe pans with kitchen roll or pour out the fat
into another container and wait for it to congeal before disposing
of it in the bin
- Don’t put bags containing dog or cat poo down your drain.
It may sound silly but people do it!
- Don’t put feminine hygiene products or
baby toiletry items (eg. wipes and disposable nappies) down the
toilet as they don’t break up like toilet paper and can cause a
blockage in the pipe.
- Only use the recommended amount of washing powder as this can
build up along the inside of the pipe and cause it to lose flow and
eventually block up.
- Make sure contractors don’t put artex, cement, rubble, glue,
plaster or render etc. down the sink or outside gulleys. It
will harden and can cause blockages.
- Don’t bury your manhole cover. If you pave, cement or put
decking over it you may have to rip it all out to gain access to
the manhole and even then you may not remember where it actually
is.
- Make sure any manholes or gullies are covered. Missing covers
mean many things can fall into the pipe and cause a blockage.
- Periodically checking your kitchen gulley for fatty deposits
and removing any build up can save you a lot of money later
When does the Council get involved and why?
For tenants and leaseholders of Council owned
property the following will apply after 1 October 2011.
Whilst the Council as freeholder is
responsible for the maintenance of a drain, this only extends to
ensuring that the system is free from defects or other damage e.g.
tree roots. The situation for Council tenants and
leaseholders will be exactly the same as for private homeowners in
that they will be responsible for the cost of clearing any
blockages caused by them or other costs related to discharging
inappropriate items into the drainage system.
If the Council’s contractor is requested by
the occupier to attend to a blocked drain and it turns out to have
been caused by the occupier, then the cost will be recharged to the
tenant or leaseholder (as appropriate). Southern Water may
also impose charges for abortive calls and may not clear a blocked
drain.
Charges imposed by Southern Water and
addressed to the Council will be investigated. If the charges
are the responsibility of the tenant or leaseholder the Council
will reject them and ask Southern Water to redirect
accordingly. In these circumstances the Council will provide
Southern Water with the relevant contact details for the tenant or
leaseholder (as necessary).
If the Council is required to pay charges
imposed by Southern Water when the tenant or leaseholder is found
to be responsible, the net cost of the charges imposed plus
interest calculated monthly will be recharged to the tenant or
leaseholder.
The Council also reserves the right to charge
the tenant or leaseholder for investigating and administrating the
charge.
Legal Action
The Council also has legal powers to intervene
when there is a blockage or other defect in a drain and no action
has been taken by the home owner to rectify it. The Council
can serve notice, undertake works in default and recharge its
reasonable costs if the home owner does not respond. In such
cases the Council will add an administration charge to the cost of
the remedial works.
The Council has no statutory powers to require
Southern Water to maintain and repair the public sewerage
system. However, Southern Water operates a complaints
procedure and this may be used by a home owner to resolve a
dispute.
This webpage was updated on
2/1/2012