Drains and
sewers
This page gives guidance on drains
and sewers as well as information on who may be responsible for
maintenance.
Drains
A drain takes the wastewater from a single property. There are two
types of wasterwater; foul sewage and surface water runoff (i.e.
rainwater). Private drains are the responsibility of the property
owners regardless of the age of the property.
Private Sewers
Drains often combine to form a private sewer. They remain private
up to the point of connection with the public sewer (maintained by
the sewage company), even if the private sewer runs under public
land or highways. The overall ownership of a private sewer is with
all property owners whose wastewater flows into it; they are
jointly responsible for its repair and maintenance. Any problems
such as blockages have to be dealt by all private owners upstream
of the blockage, not just the owner of the property where the
blockage is.
Public Sewers
The large pipes that run under public roads are the most common
types of public sewer. Smaller drains or private sewers are
connected to the public sewer. If the sewer to your property was
built before October 1937, then it is normally considered to be a
public sewer. Some sewers built after October 1937 are 'adopted' by
the water companies as a public sewer. In London this will be
Thames Water. If the sewer was built before 1937, Thames Water will
be responsible for repairing or unblocking the sewer.