There are an awful lot of pipes, drains and sewers hidden away from view inside homes and under the ground – so it’s worth bearing in mind that responsibility for their upkeep is in the hands of different organisations and people – including you!
What you’re responsible for?
The pipes, gutters and drains in and around your home, including the drain from your property up to your boundary. If you have a problem with these, you’ll need to call a drainage company – but check your insurance first as you may be covered.
What United Utilities is responsible for?
The big public sewers that take sewage and rainwater run-off to waste water treatment works; the pipes from your property’s boundary that lead into the public sewer; and many of the shared drains where several property’s drain meet together before they join the public sewer. If you suspect that one of these is blocked, please contact United Utilities.
What your local authority is responsible for?
Road gullies; these are small grate-covered openings at the edge of the roads, and are used to drain surface water from the highway. If you’re worried about blockages or smells from these, please call your Council.
London Drainage Facilities (LDF) details exactly who is responsible for repairing our drains and sewers. Who is responsible for repairing drains? Generally, as a rule of thumb a homeowner is responsible for the drains that fall within the boundaries of their property and in the event of something going wrong, they will be required to...Continue reading→
London Drainage Facilities (LDF) were surprised to find out millions of homeowners in the South-East of England are being wooed to sign up for cheap drainage cover by Thames Water, only then to find out their policy gets ten times more expensive after the first year. LONDON, ENGLAND, JULY 2013 Thames Water has paired up...Continue reading→
When the MET office issued a severe weather warning for Greater Manchester last week, most of the town’s residents paid little notice. There are many jokes about the amount of rainfall Manchester sees, but perhaps residents should have listened a little more carefully to the latest advice. Severe rain storms hit the city last Thursday...Continue reading→
London Drainage Facilities explains the science behind sinkholes and why they are becoming more prevalent in the UK. In the past, massive sinkholes have been cropping up around the world in countries such as the USA and China. However, in recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of sinkholes appearing at...Continue reading→
As part of the city-wide ‘Open House London’ celebrations, Thames Water is opening some of their more elaborate hidden gems to the general public. Places on tours can be booked now with the weekend the 22/23 September earmarked as the weekend the facilities will be open. Some of the sights which you could behold include:...Continue reading→
From the 1st of October 2011 the ownership of drains and sewers in England and Wales will change. Some homeowners will see little difference in terms of who owns the drain, but for others it could mean that a significant portion of the drainage within their property boundary is now the responsibility of the water...Continue reading→
The changes to the ownership of drains and sewers which takes place on the 1st of October 2011 has left many people confused. It’s not too difficult to understand how the changes will affect you however, and this can be made simpler still if you know what type of property you live in. Drain changes...Continue reading→
Drain surveys are a regular and essential procedure for both commercial and residential properties. Using state of the art CCTV cameras, drainage professionals will locate the full details and potential cause of any blockages and assess any structural defects or damage. They are also able to map the full layout of the drain in question...Continue reading→
Ever wondered who needs to foot the bill for your drain maintenance or repairs? LDF provide you with everything you need to know about drain responsibility and legislation here. “It’s a question we’re often asked here at London Drainage Facilities”, says LDF’s Managing Director Danny Fuller. “We thought we’d outline who exactly is responsible for...Continue reading→
The drainage that leaves your property can have different names depending where in the drainage system the pipes sit. Some people occasionally get these terms confused and use them interchangeably – so we are here to explain the difference between a drain, lateral drain and a sewer in simple terms. Drain ownership responsibility changed on...Continue reading→
