East Suffolk Council
Sewers and drains
Anglian Water is responsible for looking after many more sewers and wastewater pipes as a result of a change in the law that came into effect on 1 October 2011.
If you are connected to the public sewer system, Anglian Water has taken ownership of any pipes that you share with your neighbours as well as any pipes that are outside your property boundary.
You are still responsible for those pipes within your property boundary that take waste water away from only your home. Any pipes that don't connect to Anglian Water's system also remain in private ownership.
Further details and contact information is available on the Anglian Water website.
Who should unblock or repair a drain or sewer?
It is a common misconception that councils are responsible for maintaining and repairing sewers. Drains and sewers are either privately owned by the owners of the houses they serve, or, in our district, are the responsibility of Anglian Water.
If you are connected to the public sewer system and the blockage or disrepair occurs in the section of pipe within your property boundary then the responsibility rests with you or the owner of the property if you are a tenant.
If the blockage or disrepair occurs in a section of pipe that drains a number of properties, and they are connected to the public sewer system, the responsibility for the clearance or repair rests with Anglian Water.
If the owners of properties served by a private sewer do not arrange for the clearance of any blockage, we can serve a legal notice requiring the work to be done. If the notice is not complied with, we may carry out the works in default of the notice and recover the costs from the owners of the properties affected. However, it will normally be more economical for the owners to agree amongst themselves to arrange for the works to be carried out.
Public sewers
If the blockage or any disrepair occurs in the public sewer (this is a sewer that has either been adopted as a public sewer or was built before 1 October 1937) then the responsibility for its clearance or repair rests with Anglian Water.