Drains and Sewers
Drains pipe away dirty water and foul sewage
(from bathrooms and kitchens) and surface water (including rain
water) from a single property. Lateral Drains
are found outside a property boundary (in a neighbouring garden or
the highway) and connect a property's drainage system to the public
sewer system.
Sewers are shared drains, piping away dirty
water and foul sewage from more than one property.
Responsibility
On 1 October 2011, the ownership of private sewers and lateral
drains transferred to the ten regional statutory water and sewerage
companies: in Amber Valley Borough Council's administrative area,
ownership transferred to Severn Trent Water Limited. Detailed
information and advice on drainage issues can be found on Severn Trent Water's website
or by calling 0800 783 4444.
Responsibility for the following sewers did not
transfer to the statutory water and sewerage companies:
- Private drains within the property boundary, which serve
just that property, remain the responsibility of the owner (or
owners if the property is a flat or apartment);
- Surface water sewers that drain direct to watercourses
(Environment
Agency);
- Land drainage (Amber Valley Borough Council) and highway
drainage (see below);
- Privately owned septic tanks and cess pools/pits (see
below);
- Privately owned sewage treatment works and the
associated pipe work.
Septic tanks and cess pools/pits
Septic tank systems and cess pools/pits are solely the
responsibility of the properties connected into them irrespective
of when they were built. Amber Valley Borough Council will
still investigate complaints about faulty systems. The
discharge from a septic tank is still licensed by the Environment
Agency.
Blocked or defective surface water drains (located in
the road)
Blocked gullies, grates, ditches or drains that cause road
flooding should be reported to Derbyshire County Council at 'Call
Derbyshire' on 08456 058 058.
Surface water drainage
Section 59 of the Building Act 1984 allows the Council to
require that satisfactory provision is made for the drainage of
buildings, including such work as may be necessary for renewing,
repairing or cleansing an existing cesspool, private drain (within
the property boundary), pipe, spout, sink or other appliance, or
for filling up, removing or otherwise rendering innocuous a disused
cesspool or private drain.
In 2010 (prior to transfer), we dealt with
121 complaints about drainage.