Drains and sewers
A drain is a pipe which serves just your own property. Private
householders are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of
their own drains.
If you are a council tenant and have a problem with your drains
please report it to the Repairs Call Centre on 01695 720681.
Private sewers
You are jointly responsible with your neighbours for the upkeep and
maintenance of any private sewer you benefit from, up to and
including the connection point with the public sewer. A private
sewer is a pipe, which carries the drainage from more than one
property but is not part of the public sewerage system. It may
serve several properties including your own.
Public sewers
United Utilities are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of
public sewers. These are the main sewers and are generally located
in the road. It must be noted, however, that just because a sewer
is in the road does not mean that it is a public sewer.
Blocked drains and sewers
If your drain or private sewer is blocked you should arrange for it
to be cleared using a contractor. If a blocked drain or sewer is
reported to the council we will serve a legal notice on all persons
gaining benefit from the drain/sewer and require it to be cleared.
If the notice is not complied with, the work will be done in
default and you will be charged for this, including all the
council's costs.
If your property was built before the 1st October 1937 and your
sewer is blocked then United Utilities will arrange for it to be
cleared. Even if your house was built before 1937 you are still
responsible for your own drains.
Contact United Utilities
Phone United Utilities on 08456 020406 or visit the United Utilities
Drains & Sewers (external link) web pages.
Related information
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Environmental health enquiry form