DOWN THE PAN...
Some time ago I told you about a consultation which was being carried out by the then government in respect of the possible adoption of all private sewers by the water companies.
Well just under two years later I have attended a seminar where we were told that this possibility will become a reality in October with the passing of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
Although exact deadlines and dates are yet to be confirmed the broad basics are that as from 1 October this year, all private sewers will be adopted and pass into the ownership of the water companies and all new public sewers on newly approved sites constructed after July 2011 will need to be constructed in accordance with new national standards. (A private sewer is a drain that takes foul and waste water from two or more properties.)
Additionally, private lateral drains will also be adopted by the water companies. (Lateral drains are private drains that pass over somebody else’s land.) This means that in essence the only drainage that will remain the responsibility of the homeowner will be the private drainage, only serving their property within the boundary of their site.
Figure 1 shows the present situation with the private drains, lateral drains and private sewers the responsibility of the homeowners whose land they pass across. Figure 2 shows the extent of how this will look after October 2011 when the lateral drains and private sewers all pass into the ownership and responsibility of the water companies. The only difference to this is the foul drains to blocks of apartments. Under the legislation a block of apartments counts as one property so the drainage system will remain private until it passes outside the boundary of the block or it joins the drainage from another block or dwelling.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO FMB MEMBERS AND THEIR CUSTOMERS
Planning
Careful planning will be required in respect of the layout of new drainage systems to ensure that the foul drainage discharges to the front of the property where possible, and that a demarcation chamber is placed at the junction of the private and public sewers.
Construction
Where new drains for adoption are being built, these can now be as small as 100mm (previously they needed to be a minimum of 150mm) and will need to be constructed in accordance with new national standards which are due for publication shortly. It is likely that these standards will require additional protection for the pipes alongside minimum grades of materials to ensure that they can withstand the water company’s requirements for cleaning etc should they become blocked. It is also still unclear, who or how these drains for adoption will be adopted.
Refurbishment
Where FMB members are carrying out repairs and refurbishment to existing systems, precautions should be taken, as after 1 October the drains in questions may be public sewers and the responsibility of the water companies.
This is all great news for homeowners. Apparently this legislation was introduced following lobbying by MPs who had expressed concern at the number of neighbour disputes over blocked drains. However there is a sting in the tail, the legislation also allows the water companies to raise their charges to allow them to service their new responsibilities...I wonder if they will do this?!
