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Drainage - help and advice

The District Council do not own any sewerage systems which serve residential properties however the Council does have a statutory duty to enforce legislation relating to the provision and maintenance of proper drainage for premises and; to remedy blockages and other defects on drains and private sewers.

Where an owner or occupiers fail to keep drainage systems in proper repair, condition or remove blockages, the Council can serve notice requiring the work to be done. If the work is not done in the specified time, the Council can do the work itself and recover expenses from the owner or occupier. The Council does not offer a drainage clearance service.

Question - What is a drain?
Answer - A drain is a pipe that conveys either foul water (sink/bath/toilet etc) or surface water from one house only. This water should discharge into a public sewer/private sewer, septic tank or for surface water into a local watercourse. The owner is responsible for maintenance and upkeep of the system until it enters the public sewer even if it crosses someone else's land.

Question - What is a sewer?
Answer - A sewer is a pipe that conveys either foul water or surface water from more than one house that has been adopted by a water authority. This water should discharge into a public sewer/private sewer, septic tank or for surface water into a local watercourse.

Question - What is a public sewer?
Answer - A public sewer is owned and maintained by the local water authority such as Yorkshire Water or Northumbrian Water.

Question - What is a private sewer?
Answer - This is a shared pipe usually built before 31st October 1937 that carries foul water or surface water away from more than one property and is the responsibility for maintenance and upkeep of the system until it enters the public sewer is that of all the owner/s who flow into it.

NEW CHANGES
New changes from 1st October 2011 will mean your local water authority (Yorkshire Water / Northumbrian Water) will become responsible for the maintenance, clearance and upkeep of private sewers. This means that if previously you have had a shared responsibility for a private sewer, all issues with these systems can now be referred directly to the water authority for investigation. Home owners will be receiving a covering letter advising them of the changes. Please follow the below links for further information.

Yorkshire Water customers: Tel no 0845 124 24 29
Yorkshire Water Transfer Oct 2011 Opens in a new window

Northumbrian Water customers: Tel no 0845 717 1100
Northumbrian water Oct transfer 2011 Opens in a new window

Question - How do I know if it is my drain that is blocked?

Answer - If your drain is blocked, your waste will stop going away when you flush the toilet, you may notice water rising in the basin or taking a long time to go down, gullies outside may overflow and there may also be a smell. There are many reasons why drains block:

• Poor condition such as the age of the system or materials used which may lead to a collapse or misalignment.
• Abuse caused by flushing away DIY materials such as rubble, cement, sand or plaster causing an obstruction.
• Disposing of nappies or other items such as baby wipes, sanitary items or plastic bags which stick to the sides of the pipes causing an obstruction.
• Excessive disposal of cooking fats and oils that solidify in the system and form hard solid deposits on the surface pipes causing obstruction.
• Trees in close proximity to your drainage systems can cause damage to the pipes from ever growing tree roots.

For more advice on how you can look after domestic drainage system please follow the following links Yorkshire water advice for domestic use Opens in a new window and Northumbrian water resident advice Opens in a new window

For more information contact: Environmental Health Services, Civic Centre, Stone Cross, Northallerton DL6 2UU. Telephone 0845 1211 555