Private sewers in England and Wales
It has been estimated that up to 50% of properties in England and Wales are connected to a private sewer. A private sewer is one which is not a ‘public’ sewer (i.e. owned by a statutory Water and Sewerage Company) and is generally collectively owned and maintained by the owners of the premises it serves, though often extending beyond the property boundary into the public highway.
There are no comprehensive records of where private sewers are located or what condition they are in. Following an extensive review of private sewer ownership, the Government announced its decision, on 22 February 2007, to transfer existing private sewers and lateral drains (that part of the pipe running from the property boundary to the main sewer) that connect to the public network, into the ownership of the statutory Water and Sewerage Companies in England and Wales.
The government announcement of February 2007 (news release of 22 February 2007) followed extensive work arising from a public consultation, which explored the problems surrounding existing private sewers in England and Wales and sought views on a number of possible solutions, including the adoption of private sewers by sewerage undertakers. The Government published a response to the consultation in October 2004, which noted the strength of support for transfer and undertook to examine the case for it in more depth and to consult on ways to implement the transfer of private sewer ownership.
This commitment was carried forward in a further consultation published in July 2007, which examined methods for implementing transfer. Defra is examining the issues raised in the consultation responses with advice from a steering group, which includes representatives from a range of stakeholders, and will make an announcement on the method of transfer before consulting on regulations to bring transfer into effect.
Further information
The review of private sewer ownership has comprised two parts:
- The first part looked to prevent further problems by introducing a protocol for the construction of new sewers
- The second part has looked at existing private sewers
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Page last modified: 21 August 2008
Page published: 15 October 2004