If your waste water isn’t draining properly, if you’re finding it difficult to flush your toilet or if you’re finding waste water coming up from drains in your home and garden, then you probably have blocked drains. However, depending on where the blockage is, it may or may not be your responsibility to get it cleared.
Since changes to the law in 2011, there are two types of sewer – private and public. The drainage pipes from your property are private – and therefore your responsibility – up to the point that they reach outside your property and connect to pipes that serve other properties. The large sewer pipes that run under the road or pavements and, since 2011, the shared sections of sewers and pipes that connect the private pipes to these larger sewers, are public sewers and are the responsibility of the local water company.
If you suspect that you have a blockage, the first thing to check is whether all your sinks and toilets are affected. If some are clear, then it’s very likely that the blockage is somewhere in your own private drains. You may also be able to access your inspection chambers – again, if you find that it’s free flowing then the problem lies further up, in your private drains.
An unpleasant smell from the inspection chamber is often the first sign of a blockage – and if it’s severe, then you may get waste flowing out from a gully or from under the inspection cover.
If everything in your property is similarly blocked, and especially if your neighbours are having similar problems or if there’s widespread flooding in the area, then the blockage may be in the public drains or sewer instead.
For blocked drains in Nottingham and blocked drains in Derby, if you think the problem is in your own drains you can contact us for a quick and efficient repair; if you believe it’s in the public drains then you should contact Severn Trent Water.
For blocked drains in Sheffield, again if it’s your private drains that are blocked you can call on us, but if the problem lies in the public sewer it will likely be the responsibility of Yorkshire Water.
For more information on our services, call us on 0800 195 8670 or check our Contact page for full contact details.