Information
Drainage Information 

The first sign of a blocked drain may be the failure of WCs and baths to drain quickly and efficiently, or an overflowing Inspection Chamber (Manhole) or gully. 


There will also probably be a smell.


Drains may block because they are in poor physical condition and normal contents are not being cleared. 


Excessive disposal of cooking fats and oils, along with other domestic products and DIY materials such as plaster, can cause blockage of the pipe work. 


Tree roots entering a broken drain can also be a problem.


If the drains are not blocked, but a persistent foul smell or unexpectedly wet ground make you suspect that there is a leak somewhere, this is when a CCTV Survey is performed. 


Remember that pipes below ground are laid in straight lines for as much of their route as possible. Where a change of direction is needed, the bend should be less than a right angle and there should be an Inspection Chamber there. There may be a manhole cover above it or, in older properties, there may be an interceptor chamber near the boundary before the house drain joins the main sewer.


The name Interceptor is given to the trap (U-bend) on the outlet of the last Inspection Chamber on your property, before your drain joins the public/main sewer. The Victorians invented the Interceptor trap predominantly to prevent the public from putting rubbish down the sewers, but also to stop smells and vermin from the public/main sewer entering private drains. The trap is also there to prevent waste from the main sewer entering your private drains, but it also prevents you from pushing rods through.

The first sign of a blocked drain may be the failure of WCs and baths to drain quickly and efficiently, or an overflowing Inspection Chamber (Manhole) or gully. 


There will also probably be a smell.


Drains may block because they are in poor physical condition and normal contents are not being cleared. 


Excessive disposal of cooking fats and oils, along with other domestic products and DIY materials such as plaster, can cause blockage of the pipe work. 


Tree roots entering a broken drain can also be a problem.


If the drains are not blocked, but a persistent foul smell or unexpectedly wet ground make you suspect that there is a leak somewhere, this is when a CCTV Survey is performed. 


Remember that pipes below ground are laid in straight lines for as much of their route as possible. Where a change of direction is needed, the bend should be less than a right angle and there should be an Inspection Chamber there. There may be a manhole cover above it or, in older properties, there may be an interceptor chamber near the boundary before the house drain joins the main sewer.


The name Interceptor is given to the trap (U-bend) on the outlet of the last Inspection Chamber on your property, before your drain joins the public/main sewer. The Victorians invented the Interceptor trap to stop vermin from the public/main sewer entering private drains. The trap is predominantly there to prevent waste from the main drain entering your house drains, but it also prevents you from pushing rods through.
  
What is the difference between Access Chambers, Inspection Chambers and Manholes? 

An Access Chamber is usually a small round chamber, literally just for access for unblocking. These are the small uPVC type, with 280 - 320mm diameter.

An Inspection Chamber (IC) is the common type found at a residential property, and is usually of the 600mm x 450mm (2' x 1 1/2') size, usually with a depth <1.2m. They can be constructed of pre-fab concrete sections, bricks, or the more recent PVC (450mm).

A Manhole (MH) literally means a chamber that a man can fit in, usually with a depth >1.2m. The minimum sized cover for a MH under current building regulations is 600mm x 600mm. Manholes are usually made up of pre-fab concrete sections (rings or rectangles), although can be constructed from brick too (two courses of engineering bricks, 225mm (9") thick).

Drains and sewers definitions

The number of properties that a pipe serves and where it is in relation to those properties generally determines whether it is a drain or sewer.

The following are some general definitions:

Drain : a drainage pipe serving just one property

Sewer : a drainage pipe serving more than one property

Public sewer : a sewer adopted by the sewerage undertaker

Private sewer : a sewer owned by all the homeowners served by the pipe

Lateral drain : a drainage pipe that serves a single property but is outside the boundary of that property


To avoid blocking your drains, follow Southern Water's advice on:

What not to flush away by looking at the
'Bag it and Bin it' campaign on the Southern Water website

How to deal with cooking fat by looking at the
'Pain in the drain' campaign on the Southern Water website
 

Blocked road gullys

Surface water drainage of roads and footpaths is the responsibility of West/East Sussex County Council, except for eg. the A27, which is the Highway Agency's. 


Responsibility for drains and sewers

Sewers and drains are either the responsibility of homeowners or the sewerage undertaker, which in this area is Southern Water.

Since 1st October 2011, most sewers and lateral drains have been adopted by Southern Water and become public sewers.

In general terms:

A drain on your property which serves only your property is the homeowner's responsibility to maintain, repair and unblock where necessary.

A drain which serves only your property but which is located on someone else's land is the responsibility of Southern Water.

A private sewer which serves more than one household is the responsibility of Southern Water. 

Drainage which serves blocks of flats, commercial buildings and more unusual situations may vary from the above and should be discussed directly with Southern Water. 


Sewers and drain responsibilities explained

What am I responsible for ?

There are an awful lot of pipes, drains and sewers hidden away from view inside homes and under the ground, so it is worth bearing in mind that responsibility for their upkeep is in the hands of different organisations and people – including you.

What you are responsible for :

The pipes, gutters and drains in and around your home, including the drains from your property up to your boundary.

What Southern Water is responsible for : 

The big public sewers that take sewage and rainwater run-off to wastewater treatment works (the pipes from your property’s boundary that lead into the public sewer). Many of the shared drains where several properties' drains meet together before they join the public sewer – if you suspect that this is blocked, please contact us.

What your local authority is responsible for : 

Road gullies; these are small grate-covered openings at the edge of roads, and are used to drain surface water from the highway. If you are worried about blockages or smells from these, please call the council.

We do cover areas outside of the marked areas for quotations / repairs, however our local area is within the marked area : the South Coast, from Bognor Regis to Brighton.
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