Go to navigation
Drainage
It is a common misconception that councils are responsible for
maintaining drains and sewers. Apart from some drainage on council
estates, all drains and sewers are either privately owned by the
owners of the houses they serve or, for most pre-1937 drainage, are
the responsibility of the statutory undertaker. In Medway, this is
Southern Water.
Firstly there is an important distinction between drains and
sewers:
- A drain is a pipe which carries effluent from one
property.
- A sewer is a pipe which carries effluent from more than one
property.
- When two drains join, the pipe becomes a sewer.
When things go wrong
Resolving issues relating to drains and sewers can often be time
consuming, as it is not always clear what is the cause of the
problem. It may be necessary for the council to serve legal notices
on those properties affected to clear the blockage or have repairs
carried out to a defective pipe. In some cases CCTV camera surveys
are carried out to establish the extent of a problem or
defect.
What you can do to help
To reduce the number of blockages that occur in the first place,
care should be taken with what items are actually pushed, poured or
flushed down a drain or sewer.
The following items should never be put down a drain:
- cement, rubble, concrete, stones;
- bricks, engine oil, chemicals, sanitary products;
- newspapers, magazines, nappies, cotton buds;
- hand wipes, fats, other bulky items.
Owner occupiers
Generally, owners of properties built after October 1937 are
responsible for their own drains irrespective of whose land they
run through. Drainage law is not concerned with who owns the land
or where the drain is located but who has use of that drain or
sewer. This can become complex where these drains connect into
a private sewer serving more than one property, however. Where this
is the case, all the properties above the blockage that connect
into this private sewer will be jointly responsible for sharing the
cost of resolving the problem. If, as a house owner, you are
unaware as to whether you are on a private drain or sewer, you
should check with either Southern Water or the Environmental Health
Department before calling out a contractor.
The main sewer
These are generally the responsibility of the sewerage
undertaker which, within Medway, is Southern Water. Should you
encounter any problems with the main public sewer or drains, you
should contact Southern Water on 0845 278
0845.
Highway gullies
These are designed to take the surface water from roads and back
streets. They are not designed to take foul water. Any problems
relating to these drains, for example
that they are blocked, overflowing or giving off odours, should be
reported to the Highways Department on 01634
333333.
Council houses
Medway Council maintains the sewers and drains that serve
council houses. Any problems relating to these properties should be
referred to your local housing office
for further advice.
Ex-council houses
The general rule of thumb relating to these is similar to that
of the owner-occupier. The owner is responsible for their own
private drain within the boundary of their property until it
connects into either a private or public sewer. Once it connects
into a public sewer, Southern Water will be the point of contact
for any blockages. If you are unaware as to whether you connect
into a private or public sewer you should check with the relevant
housing office first.
If it connects to a private sewer, all the properties that
connect to it that are above the blockage will be equally
responsible for the cost of resolving the problem. If one or
more of the properties affected are still council-owned properties,
however, the council may be responsible for clearing the blockage
and you should contact the appropriate housing office.
Please note that if all the properties on the private sewer are
now privately owned, the council has no further responsibility
to maintain the sewer or drain, the house owners must take
action themselves.
If you have any queries over these issues, please contact the
relevant housing office for clarification. If you are unaware as to
whether all the houses served by your sewer have been sold off
or not, you will need to contact your local housing office for
clarification.
Properties connected to a cesspit, septic tank or a private
sewage treatment plant
These are private drainage systems and as such, the
responsibility for them falls entirely on the householder(s). They
are responsibility of neither Southern Water nor the council. The
maintenance and upkeep of these systems, which includes their
emptying, is the householder(s)
responsibility. If such a system serves more than
one property, each householder is responsible for his or her own
drain until the point where it connects to a common part of the
system. Any work or maintenance that is required to these common
parts are the joint responsibility of all householders served by
the system.
Useful contacts
- Southern Water - phone 0845 278 0845
- Council housing offices - phone 01634
333333
Details of other contractors who may be able to assist you with
your drainage problems can be found in the Yellow Pages under the
heading "drain and pipe cleaning".
Add this page to my Quick Links:
Add page
Send this page to a friend:
Send