Private Sewer Transfer Briefing: October 2011

On October 1st 2011 the majority of private sewers and lateral drains in England and Wales transferred into the ownership of the Water Companies.

Background

All sewers (i.e. where the drains from two or more properties combine) laid before 1937 are already the responsibility of water companies
Significant lengths of sewer have been laid since that time which remain in private ownership
Drains, i.e. pipes within the boundary of a property and only serving that property, are privatley owned and will continue to be so after October 2011
Regulations dealing with the transfer of private sewers came into effect on 1 July 2011 and the transfer will take effect on 1 October 2011.

All private sewers will be owned in their entirety by the water companies
Lateral drains, that is to say, any section of disposal pipe extending beyond the property boundary, will also transfer to the water companies
Where a pipe connects to single property, only that length outside the curtilage (see below note on curtilage) of the property will transfer to the relevant water company
There are a few exemptions from the transfer. Defra has issued draft guidance on these exceptions which is available on their website. Click here for details.
Pumping stations will transfer over a five year period between October 2011 and October 2016. Water companies will prepare a register of such pumping stations prior to 2016. Issues may arise regarding liability for these and their serviceability once the sewers they service have transfered i.e. in the period between October 2011 and October 2016.

For more information please call 0845 1385385 or email us at info@drainageandwater.co.uk

Posted on: 20/07/2011