Drains and Sewers
| Service Deliverer: |
Havant Borough Council, Southern Water |
| Contact: |
Please call at Reception in the Public Service Plaza Foyer.
Enquiries may be made Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm. |
| Telephone No: |
HBC Customer Services 023 9244 6017 or
see contacts list below >>
Southern Water: 0845 278 0845
|
| Address: |
Havant Borough Council, Public Service Plaza, Civic Centre
Road, Havant, PO9 2AX |
| Email: |
customer.services@havant.gov.uk |
| Details: |
Private drains are the responsibility of the owner(s) of the
property in which the pipe is laid. Public sewers, representing
over 98% of all drainage pipework, are dealt with by Southern Water
Services Limited.
The Council's Environmental Health team will investigate
problems affecting private drains and can offer advice as part of
its Public Health duty. However please note that we rarely have
information about the routes of drains serving your individual
property, and it might be quicker and easier to get a
private contractor to find this out for you.
|
What is a drain?
A drain is a pipe which conveys either foul water (sink / bath /
toilet etc.) or surface water (rain) from one property only.
A drain is PRIVATE
and the owner or occupier of the property is responsible
for maintaining the drain, clearing blockages and repairing
any faults, but only as far as the boundary of the property (for
example, up to the garden wall, or end of the driveway). Blocks of
flats are treated in this respect as one property. Individual
connections to the sewer beyond the property boundary are
known as 'laterals' and are usually PUBLIC.
What is a sewer?
A sewer is a pipe which conveys water from more than one
house. A sewer is (with very few
exceptions) PUBLIC, and can
carry clean ('surface') or dirty ('foul') water. In this area, the
two systems (foul and surface) are kept separate and should never
be mixed - foul sewers drain to the Waste Water Treatment Works,
whilst surface water sewers drain to the nearest ditch, stream or
river - or the sea.
In the Borough,
PUBLIC sewers are maintained by Southern Water
>>. The larger sewers are usually found under the
highway, but the public sewer network includes any pipe where the
water in it is shared by two or more properties and can be located
anywhere - within gardens, private roads, and across fields! The
Council and Southern Water hold copies of the Public Sewer Maps
showing the locations of public sewers, although sewers which have
become public under a recent (October 2011) change of legislation
may not be recorded on the map yet. These maps are available
for public inspection by appointment.
A typical foul sewer layout is shown
in the diagram below. The owner of each house is only responsible
for the private drain or private lateral shown by the blue (thin)
line. All other pipes as shown in red (thick) lines are 'public'
sewers and laterals and are the responsibility of Southern Water to
maintain, clean and repair.
If my property has a private drain,
why do I pay Sewerage Charges?
The term 'sewerage'
refers to the infrastructure (pipes, drains, sewers, pumping
stations, Waste Water Treatment Works etc.), not the liquids
(sewage) they contain.
There are two elements to the
Sewerage Charge. The bulk of the Charge is spent on treatment and
disposal of foul sewage at a network of Waste
Water Treatment Plants. Most of the Borough drains to Budds Farm in
Southmoor Lane, except Emsworth and small parts of Warblington
which drain to Thornham in West Sussex. This part of
the Sewerage Charge is also spent on the maintenance of
the public sewer network into which the private systems connect.
You are only exempt the foul sewerage charge if your property
drains to a cess pit or septic tank.
If you can prove that
surface water from your property does not drain to
a public surface water sewer, for example that it drains to a
soakaway, then you can obtain an exemption of the surface water
part of the Sewerage Charge. Contact Southern Water to arrange this
once you have obtained the necessary proof.
When I bought my property, the Search
said the property was connected to the public sewer. Don't I have a
private drain?
The search question only asks
whether the property is ultimately connected to the public sewer
system, for the purposes of finding out whether the Sewerage Charge
is payable by the occupants. It doesn't ask for the distance
or the method of connection, both of which are irrelevant to the
payment of the Charge. Every property will have at least a private
drain or lateral, and unless connected to a cess pit or septic tank
these will then drain into the public sewer network.
Where can I find out what drains and
sewers serve my property?
This information will usually be
shown on your property Deeds. Please note that the Council
will have no record of the private drainage serving your property.
If the information is not shown in your Deeds, you will have to
organise a private survey to trace the routes of the pipe
work. Southern Water is responsible for tracing the route
of public sewers serving your property.
Who is responsible if I rent my property?
If you rent your property and have a problem with the sewerage, you
should contact your landlord in the first instance.
What can I do if my drain or private lateral blocks?
During the normal working week, the Environmental Health service
can, in most cases, clear a private drain blockage by rodding,
for which a charge is payable.
A
list of charges is available here >>. Alternatively, you
may choose to employ a private contractor who, in addition to
rods, may have powered jetting equipment which is sometimes
preferable; there is a wide choice to be found in
Yellow Pages®
>> under "Drain and Pipe Cleaning". Always ask for a
quote before employing any contractor, and check whether your
household insurance will cover the cost.
What can I do if a public sewer blocks?
Where several houses are affected by
a blockage in a sewer this indicates a problem in the public sewer,
which is the responsibility of Southern Water.
Telephone them on 0845 278 0845 to report the
blockage, giving as much information about the problem as you
can.
What happens if my drain or private lateral requires
repair?
You should arrange for repair by a reputable contractor. Your
Buildings Insurance Policy may cover the cost of repairs - look for
an "Accidental Damage to Services" clause in your Policy, although
this will not cover wear and tear. Alternatively there are a number
of repair policies commercially available, some offered by the
water companies themselves.
What happens if I don't clear the blockage or carry out
repairs?
Havant Borough Council has public health powers under various Acts
of Parliament including the Building Act 1984, the Public Health
Act 1961 and the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act
1976. These allow us to demand the clearing of blockages or
carrying out any repair works in the private drain; the demand is
issued by the Council serving a legal Notice on the relevant
owners. Failure to comply with this Notice is an offence, which can
lead to prosecution. If the owners do not comply with the Notice,
the repairs may be carried out by the Council in default with the
full costs being recovered from the owners.
What do I do if a road gully
blocks?
Road gullies on the public highway
are the responsibility of the highway authority, Hampshire County
Council, to maintain. Road gullies are designed to only drain the
highway, so it is not permissible to direct water from your
property directly into them. And since they are part of the surface
water system, you should NEVER dispose of paint, oil or the like
down a road gully. It might be convenient but it leads to pollution
of the water environment and if the incident is traced to you, you
could face a hefty fine.
Hampshire County Council Highways
organises the cleansing of every road gully and drain on a rota
basis, so that each gully is cleaned at least once a year. In
between cleans, it is possible for a gully to block (especially in
areas with lots of trees in the autumn) so report any requirements
for special cleans to Customer Services by email to
roads@hants.gov.uk or if
urgent by telephone on
0845 603 5633.
In a small number of instances a
gully may be in a private area (such as a garage compound), and in
this case it will be for the landowner(s) or landlord (if
properties are rented) to maintain.
Can the Council offer advice?
Yes. The Environmental Health team will be pleased to investigate
problems in the private drainage network, and can offer advice as
part of its Public Health duty. However please note that we rarely
have information about the routes of drains serving your property,
and it might be quicker and easier to get a private contractor to
find this out for you. If you have any queries, do not hesitate to
make contact either by email to
customer.services@havant.gov.uk
or by telephoning
(023) 9244 6017.
Who can I contact?
Environmental Health
- advice and chargeable services for private drains and
laterals
Havant Borough Council
Public Service Plaza
Civic Centre Road
Havant
Hampshire
PO9 2AX
Telephone: (023) 9244 6017
Southern Water Services Ltd - public foul
water and surface water sewers only
Telephone 0845 278 0845
Hampshire County Council Highways - road
drains and gullies on the public highway only
Telephone 0845 603 5633
Hermitage Housing (Havant)
- tenants in the Havant area
33 East Street
Havant
Hampshire
PO9 1AA
Telephone: (023) 9279 4500
Hermitage Housing
(Waterlooville) - tenants in the Waterlooville area
Parchment Property Services
Unit 3, Southmoor Lane
Havant
Hampshire
PO9 1JW
Telephone: (023) 9248 4355
Tenants of other landlords should
contact their landlord direct - the numbers of some of the larger
providers in the Borough can be found on our
partner
contacts page.