Blocked Drains/Sewers

Frequently Asked Questions

Drains are pipes, which carry waste and surface water from one or more houses. When one drain meets another, it becomes a sewer. These are not the gullies or grids that can be found in the road to take water off the highway.

• How do I know if it is my drain that is blocked?
• How do I report a blocked drain?
• What are drains and sewers?
• Who is responsible?
• Enforce Statutory Drainage Legislation

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

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. Private drains/sewers are the responsibility of the owner-occupier and any other properties connected to it.

• 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 pipework.
• Tree roots entering a broken drain can also be a problem.

How do I report a blocked drain?

United Utilities looks after the network of public sewers in Tameside. This is a change because until recently, we carried out the day to day work on sewers in our area. This work has now transferred to United Utilities.

If you live in Tameside and have a sewer problem, please contact United Utilities on 0845 602 0406. Or access them at www.unitedutilities.com for further information.

For help and advice on highway drainage, land drainage or private drainage, continue to contact the Council on 0161 342 8355 during office hours and 0161 342 2222 at all other times. Use the link to report a blocked gully.

To determine whether the problem is on a drain that is a public or private sewer and who is responsible, the guidelines below will assist.

If the property is built before 1st October 1937, and so long as there are two or more properties connected to the length of drain/sewer affected, it is the responsibility of United Utilities to clear.

For properties built after 1st October 1937, all drains/sewers are the responsibility of the owner/occupiers and any other properties connected to it, unless it is the main sewer.

What are Drains and Sewers?

• Drain : A single pipeline, which conveys foul sewerage and/or surface water runoff from a single property. A drain is still a drain even if it goes past the boundary of your property until it joins a sewer.
• Sewer : A pipeline, which normally conveys foul sewage and/or surface water runoff from more than one property. Sewers may either be public or private.
• Public Sewer : A sewer, which has been adopted as a public sewer or was in use before the 1st October 1937 and is therefore the responsibility of the Statutory Undertaker.
• Private Sewer : A sewer, which is not a public sewer. A private sewer is normally the responsibility of the owner/s of the property, which it serves. It may still be a private sewer under the public highway until it joins the public sewer.
• Statutory Undertaker : in Tameside it is United Utilities (www.unitedutilities.com)

Who is responsible?

It is the responsibility of the owner-occupier to maintain and clear a private drain/sewer. If the property is rented (e.g. from New Charter Housing) then it is their responsibility. If you live in a row of houses then the problem could be a shared one.

The following diagram can be used as an example to determine who is responsible for maintenance of pipework and clearance of blockages.

• It can be seen that all pipework draining a single property (No1) is a private drain and its maintenance is the responsibility of the owner of that house. (Nos 18 and 18a are maisonettes on the same plot of land and will normally be regarded as a single property by the Statutory Undertaker and their drainage remains private regardless of when constructed)
• For houses built before 1st October 1937 all pipework serving more than one property will normally be a public sewer maintainable in Tameside by United Utilities plc.
• For houses built after 1st October 1937 all pipework serving more than one property will be a private sewer until it joins the public sewer (normally under the road) and is maintainable by all the house owners using it. In the example above houses 3-13 will be responsible for one sixth each of the cost of repair to the section of sewer running from the points where nos. 5 and 7 connect. If the defect or blockage is between nos. 7 and 9 then nos 9,11 and 13 will each be responsible for one third of the cost
• The main sewer in the road will normally be a public sewer whenever it was constructed.

Enforce Statutory Drainage Legislation

Blocked / Foul Smelling Sewers Drains

Tameside MBC has a statutory duty in the interests of public health to ensure that blocked / foul smelling private drains are cleared and, where appropriate, to recharge the householders for this service. Any recharge is apportioned equally to all households feeding into the sewer up to the point that it is blocked and follows the serving of a notice.

The Council may become involved if...

• private households, being served by a drain and/or private sewers are unable or unwilling adequately to deal with the problem. In these cases we are able to serve a Legal Notice requiring the work to be done. The work may be done by the Council in default of the owners. However this will be subject to an administration charge and it will normally be more economical for the owners to agree amongst themselves to arrange for the works to be carried out.
• access is not possible or denied onto a property to investigate the situation. An Authorised Officer of the council may enter the property at any reasonable time to assess the extent of the problem.
• the council has reason to believe that a risk to public health exists and it is unlikely that the person(s) responsible will be able or willing to carry out necessary works.

The Council has a number of options for service of notice in respect of private drains and sewers using Public Health Acts, The Building Act and other provisions but legal action is complicated and can involve extra expense and delay. However, legal action should not be necessary where owners are aware of their shared ownership and clearance and repair will be quicker and cheaper if they can agree to have works carried out and share costs fairly amongst themselves.

If you feel that you are not solely responsible for a blocked sewer and need help in contacting your neighbours, or you have any further queries, please contact the Council for further advice.

If your property was built before 1937 and your drainage problem appears to be in a section of drainage used by other properties or if it appears that the main sewer in the road may be blocked please contact United Utilities (www.unitedutilities.com) on 0845 602 0406.

Contact Information
Send us a Message	Engineering and Environmental Health Tameside MBC Council Offices Wellington Road Ashton under Lyne Lancs OL6 6DL View local map
0161 342 8355
0161 342 2939