How Will Government's Recent Changes To The Ownership Of Private Sewers Effect Domestic Home Owners?

As from the 1st of October, 2011, the UK government transferred ownership of most

of the private sewers in England and Wales to the 10 water and sewerage companies, to form part of the public sewer network. This article asks the question, what does this really mean for those of us who own our own property?

Whilst the government has outlined the reasons why it decided to change the private sewers transfer regulations on its website, in our experience the majority of the public are none the wiser as to what the changes are and how they might be affected.

Whilst the government did send an information letter to households during July & August 2011, our research suggests that this had limited impact. We all know what happens when we receive junk mail through the letterbox if it's not of interest to us at that precise moment, we throw it away. Granted, the more discerning individual will neatly insert it an A4 folder, but the vast majority of the public, who perhaps experience a blocked drain every five years, are unlikely to remember the detail. One question however does remain, 'what awareness activity is planned going forward both from central government and the regional utility companies?' This is still unclear.

So what are the changes?

As a home owner, up until the 1st October if you encountered a problem with a blocked drain you would probably source a local drainage company to come out to your home, assess the problem and hopefully clear the blockage. You would liable for the cost of undertaking this service.

After the 1st October, the government introduced regulations which meant that "all private sewers and lateral drains that connect to the public sewer would transfer to the ownership of the local water sewerage authority". Therefore, if you encountered the same problem, dependent upon where the problem is, the responsibility for clearing the blockage might be down to the local authority rather than the home owner. Whilst the government has produced a diagram to illustrate what part of the drain is the responsibility of the home owner, essentially the message is, if you encounter a problem call the water authority. They will then assess whose responsibility it is and who is therefore liable for the cost to clear the blockage.

One important piece of advice. If a water authority engineer visits your home and informs you that the responsibility and therefore the cost is yours, first ask them to explain why, including where the blockage is. The engineer will then offer to clear the blockage or repair the drain and quote you a cost for the works. Before accepting, contact local drainage companies in your area to ensure the quote you have been given by the local authority is competitive.

by: Northern Light Media

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