Page content section :
Environmental health
Drainage issues
- Drains and sewers
- Blocked or damaged drains
- Blocked or damaged drains - who is responsible?
- Blocked road gulley’s
Drains and sewers
The number of properties that a pipe serves and where it is in relation to those properties generally determines whether it is a drain or sewer. The following are some general definitions;
- Drain: a drainage pipe serving just one property
- Sewer: a drainage pipe serving more than one property.
- Public Sewer: a sewer adopted by the sewerage undertaker
- Private Sewer: a sewer owned by all the homeowners served by the pipe.
- Lateral drain: a drainage pipe that serves a single property but is outside the boundary of that property.
Blocked or damaged drains
If your drain is blocked you will usually know because your waste will stop going away when you flush the toilet, or gullies outside will overflow. There will also probably be a smell.
- Drains may block because they are in poor physical condition and normal contents are not being cleared.
- They may be in satisfactory condition but have been abused by flushing away disposable nappies or other items such as plastic bags that should never be placed into the sewerage system.
- Excessive disposal of cooking fats and oils, along with other domestic products and DIY materials such as plaster, can cause blockage of the pipe work.
- Tree roots entering a broken drain can also be a problem.
To avoid blocking your drains, follow Southern Water’s advice on what not to flush away by looking at their 'Bag it and Bin it' campaign on the Southern Water website.
Blocked or damaged drains - who is responsible
Sewers and drains are either the responsibility of homeowners or the sewerage undertaker, which in this area is Southern Water. Since 1st October 2011, most sewers and lateral drains have been adopted by Southern Water and become Public Sewers (see the Southern Water leaflet on the transfer of private sewers (.PDF 1.3mb)).
In general terms
- A drain on your property which serves only your property is the homeowners responsibility to maintain, repair and unblock where necessary.
- A drain which serves only your property but which is located on someone else’s land is the responsibility of Southern Water.
- A private sewer which serves more than one household is the responsibility of Southern Water.
Drainage which serves blocks of flats, commercial buildings and more unusual situations may vary from the above and should be discussed directly with Southern Water.
If you have a problem with drainage serving your property try to assess whether it is just your property that is affected;
- If it is you should call a private drainage clearance company.
- If other properties are affected or you are not sure contact Southern Water (details on www.southernwater.co.uk).
Blocked road gulley’s
For information regarding the surface water drainage of roads and footpaths within the district please contact West Sussex County Council Highways Department (details on www.westsussex.gov.uk).
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