Drain Responsibility
Blocked Drain in Hertfordshire: Is It Your Responsibility or the Water Company’s?
In Hertfordshire, as across England, you are usually responsible for a drain that serves only your home and sits inside your boundary. Shared sewers, and pipes once they leave your boundary, are usually the sewerage company’s. This guide helps you work out who to call in Watford, St Albans, Hemel Hempstead and the rest of the county.
Why It Is Confusing in Hertfordshire
Many Hertfordshire homes get their drinking water from one company (often Affinity Water) and their sewerage service from another (Thames Water across much of the south and west of the county, Anglian Water in parts of the north and east). For blocked drains and sewers, the company that matters is the one on your bill for wastewater.
The Rule of Thumb
Responsibility depends on two things: where the pipe is, and how many properties use it. Ofwat explains that since 1 October 2011, when private sewers were transferred to the water companies, your responsibility usually ends at your property boundary.
Your Responsibility: Private Drains
Thames Water says homeowners are responsible for drainage pipes within the property boundary that serve just that property. That includes the pipes from your toilets, sinks and gutters up to the point they join a neighbour’s pipe or leave your land.
The Sewerage Company’s Responsibility: Shared Sewers and Lateral Drains
Thames Water is responsible for sewers shared with neighbours, even if they are under your garden or driveway. This is common in terraced and semi-detached streets in North Watford, Bushey and St Albans. The section of your own pipe outside your boundary (the lateral drain) is also theirs. Thames Water adds that a blockage may be its responsibility if the problem is outside your property boundary or more than one property is having problems.
Quick Checklist: Who Do I Call?
| Situation | Usually responsible | Who to call |
|---|---|---|
| Blocked toilet, sink, bath or shower | You | A drainage engineer such as Drain 247 |
| Blocked or cracked pipe inside your boundary serving only your home | You | A drainage engineer |
| Manhole overflowing on a shared drive, or neighbours also affected | Sewerage company | Your wastewater company |
| Blocked road gully or flooding on the highway | Highway authority | Hertfordshire County Council (or your London borough) |
How to Check Before You Call
Lift your manhole covers, starting nearest the house. If one is full and the next downstream is empty, the blockage is between them.
Ask your neighbours whether their drains are slow too.
Check your water company’s sewer map (see how to find drainage plans for your house).
Not sure? Call us. If the problem is on a shared sewer, we will tell you, so you are not paying for something that is not yours.
Planning an Extension? Check for Shared Sewers First
Thames Water says you are likely to need a build-over agreement if you are building within 3 metres of a public sewer, or within 1 metre of a public lateral drain, and that planning permission does not grant you permission to build over a sewer. A CCTV drain survey and drain mapping give you the location and condition information you need. See also our build-over agreements guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the Water Company Clear My Drain for Free?
If the blockage is in a public sewer or lateral drain, the sewerage company clears it at no direct charge. If it is in your private drain, you pay.
Is My Home Insurance Likely to Cover It?
Some policies cover accidental damage to underground pipes, but not routine blockages. Check your policy wording.
Who Fixes a Collapsed Pipe Under My Garden?
If it serves only your home, you do. If it is shared, it is the sewerage company’s. A CCTV survey will show which.
Local Help
For private drain problems in Watford, St Albans, Hemel Hempstead, Rickmansworth and Bushey, call Drain 247 on 01923 959780. We can clear it with drain unblocking or jetting, and quote a fixed price for any repair.
