Drainage and Sewage
Drainage
There is a lot of confusion over who is responsible for a blocked
drain. People often think that blocked drains are the
responsibility of The Council or Severn Trent Water but this is not
the case. The majority of drains connected to domestic houses are
in the private ownership of householders served by them. If a
blockage occurs, it is the joint responsibility of those people
connected to the drain to organise a contractor to carry out works
and share the cost accordingly.
The following examples explain the difference between those drains
which are the responsibility of the owners (those served by the
drain), and those for which
Severn Trent may be
responsible:
Private Drain
This is any pipe serving one property only. This includes any pipe
work for storm water or sewage serving that property. The
responsibility for preventing blockages and maintaining private
drains remains with the owner even when the drain is beyond the
property boundaries.
Private Sewer
This is any pipe serving more than one property. The majority of
domestic houses are connected to a private sewer. The private sewer
is the joint responsibility of those people connected to it. The
private sewer commonly runs to the front or rear of the properties
which it serves and may continue to serve several streets of
houses. For example ten houses may be joined via their private
drain to a private sewer. The maintenance of this sewer, serving
all ten houses is the joint responsibility of those ten houses. If
a blockage or break occurs in the sewer, the responsibility for
organising the works to be carried out, falls jointly to the people
served by the sewer ‘at the point’ of the blockage. So, for an
example a blockage at number 5 would be the responsibility of
houses 1 to 5, as they are all served by the sewer at that
point.
Section 24 Sewer
Where the sewer serving multiple properties was built prior to
October 1937 the sewer may be the responsibility of Severn Trent.
This is commonly known as a ‘section 24’ sewer. If a blockage
occurs on this type of sewer, telephone Severn Trent and they will
inform you whether they are responsible. If they are not, then the
sewer will be a private sewer as defined above and the maintenance
the responsibility of those served by it.
Public Sewer
All ‘private sewers’ and ‘section 24’ sewers eventually lead to a
public sewer. These will be the responsibility of Severn Trent or
the Highways Agency.
Installation of Domestic Drainage Systems
The installation of a domestic drainage system requires an
application for Building Regulation approval. Application forms are
available from the Building Control Section, telephone 01562
732509.
Where an application is made and the plans do not show that
satisfactory provision has been made for drainage, they will be
rejected in accordance with the Building Act 1984 Section 21.
Failure of Domestic Drainage
Due to the nature of the subsoil within many areas of the Wyre
Forest District, the Private Sector Housing Team regularly receive
complaints about drainage systems that fail to perform
satisfactorily. These often result in formal action being taken,
and in some cases can lead to prosecution.
The majority of these cases are where septic tanks have been
installed with an inadequate soak away system, due either to poor
design, or increased volume not catered for from the outset.
The Council's preferred drainage options are a gravity connection
to a public sewer, or the installation of a pumped system to the
public sewer where there is sufficient capacity. Permission must be
obtained from Severn Trent Water prior to any connection to a
public sewer. However where this is not possible, there are various
alternative non-mains drainage options:
* Installation of a septic tank and soak away system
* Installation of a mini treatment plant with discharge
consent
* Installation of a sealed cesspool
Installation of a septic tank and soak away system
Septic tank systems consist of two main components; a watertight
underground tank into which raw sewage is sent, and (normally) a
drainage field to which water is released. Direct discharge to a
ditch or watercourse should not occur.
In order for it to work satisfactorily, septic tank systems are
reliant upon the correct siting, design, installation, operation
and maintenance. Local ground conditions are a major factor in
their performance as they determine the rate at which the effluent
drains into the subsoil.
Care taken at the design stage and during implementation will help
to avoid future problems such as foul odours, backing up of sewage,
surface flooding and water pollution.
Where a septic tank and soak away system is proposed, the planning
authority determines whether express planning permission is
required. If so, they will seek further information from other
authorities/agencies involved in the design, location and operation
of the s ystem.
Installation of a mini treatment plant
There are several manufactured brands of mini treatment plant
available on the market; the Council cannot recommend a specific
brand. There are two main types of plant, a rotating biological
filter that lifts the effluent to allow aerobic treatment or a
plant with a compressor that aerates the effluent. Consideration
needs to be given to ease and cost of maintenance, running costs,
etc.
Any discharge from a mini treatment plant to a watercourse, ditch
etc. requires a “Consent to Discharge” from the Environment Agency.
You can contact the local office via the general enquiry number
08708 506506
Installation of a sealed cesspool
Where a septic tank and soak away and a mini treatment plant are
not practical the only other option is a cesspool, which is a
sealed tank with no out-fall, for which the minimum storage
capacity is 18,000 litres. This allows a storage period of
approximately 30 days for an average family with two
children.
Whilst the initial installation costs may be cheaper, ongoing
emptying costs makes this the most expensive long-term
solution.
What statutory action can be taken by the Local Authority with
regard to defective drainage or blockages?
The role of the council is to take statutory enforcement action
against the relevant owners where work is not carried out. This
will involve serving a notice on those served by the relevant pipe,
sewer or septic tank and, depending on the cost of work, carrying
out works in default. This work is then recharged to the relevant
owners, including the officer costs and overheads. The council may
also carry out prosecution where the notice has not been complied
with.
It is advisable that you are prepared for the event of a blockage.
This might mean having some arrangements in place with your
neighbours regarding joint payment in the event of a blockage on a
private sewer and having the name of a local contractor at hand to
phone in case of emergency.
It is unfair that the person at the end of a line of houses served
by a private sewer should end up paying every time the sewer
blocks. Also be aware of what you are putting down the drains, a
common cause of blockages is a build up of fat in the sewer which
has solidified. Other problems include nappies, ladies toiletries
and even cotton buds.
Further information and a guide to
Sewers and Drains 
(323K)
