Drainage who is responsible

All drains lead to a sewer or a sewage treatment plant. Before , there used to be different rules for properties built before and after Those London properties built pre would receive more help with their drains from Thames Water, than those built after The government decided that this was unfair and too complicated, so in , the law was changed so that any drainage in London that was either shared or off your property, was now the responsibility of Thames Water.

The first port of call for householders or business owners in London for advice about drain ownership is Thames Water, www. Thames Water has sewer plans for all of London, but not all of them are accurate or yet up to date. If you are still unsure about the ownership of drains in your home, please ask. Please call or email info imperialdrainage. Skip to content London residents can still be very confused regarding who is responsible for unblocking or repairing drains on their property.

Why is it important to know? The added complication of accountability can make the whole process more stressful and disruptive than it needs to be. Even if you experience a blockage or see signs of slow drains in your home, it still takes a bit of work to figure out exactly where the problem lies. If you arrange to have an inspection of the surrounding drains, but a blockage is found to be outside of your property, it is not your responsibility to carry out the repair. If the blockage or damage is within your boundary and in a pipe serving your home, then the onus is on you to resolve the issue.

This can be done by getting in touch with a drainage contractor and discussing the issue with them. After an inspection, the drain will either be cleared or repaired.

It is possible that your drains are covered by your home insurance, so make sure to check this beforehand. While the pipes coming from your home are yours to maintain, the main sewer system that they connect to is not.

The sewers are where all the surrounding properties on your street connect to, so assigning accountability to any one of these is impossible. Express Clear provide a range of professional drainage services to resolve major and minor issues with your drains. Any of these items can block your pipes especially if they get mixed up with FOG too. Result: sewage backing up in your home. Not recommended. Septic tanks count — Properties that are not connected to the main sewer network may use a septic tank for wastewater disposal, and these have their own rules and regulations that must be followed.

In January , new general binding rules on how to properly maintain and prevent pollution from septic tanks and small sewage treatment plants came into full effect, so these should be followed closely; in areas identified as environmentally sensitive, you also may require a permit too. Getting it wrong could result in a fine or prosecution, so make sure you have a clear understanding of your responsibilities. For more information call us on or use our online enquiry form.

Brief details of your enquiry Billing Postcode. Site Postcode. How did you find out about us? Please Specify. Upload File. Number of Bedrooms Select from the list below To receive a response to your enquiry, please tick this box to give us permission to contact you. Be wastewater aware.