Thurrock Council's Environmental Protection (EP) Team can provide general information and advice in response to drainage and sewage queries. EP Team officers have no obligation to assist in drainage matters although they may become involved when householders need advice concerning their responsibilities or refuse to undertake necessary works to resolve the problem.
The information contained here will hopefully answer some of your questions. However, should you require any further advice or guidance please contact the Environmental Health department on 01375 652955, or email environmental.health@thurrock.gov.uk. Further information on this subject can also be found in our Drains and Sewers Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
There are different names for the pipes commonly used to discharge waste water from buildings. The differences become very important if at any time the pipework becomes blocked or needs repair.
In the diagram above, the dashed and solid lines represent the different responsibilities held for each part of the system.
| Key | Who is responsible for: | Blockages | Repairs |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Private drain | Owner/Landlord or Tenant | Owner/Landlord |
 |
Private sewer | Owners of all premises connected upstream of stoppage | Owners of all premises connected upstream of defect |
 |
Public sewer | Anglian Water | Anglian Water |
A drain takes the wastewater from a single property. There are two kinds of wastewater, foul sewage and surface water runoff (i.e. rainwater). Maintenance of private drains is the responsibility of the property owners.
Drains often combine to form a Private Sewer. These remain private up to the point of connection with the public sewer (maintained by the sewage company), even if the private sewer runs under public land or highways. The overall ownership of a private sewer is with all property owners whose wastewater flows into it, they are jointly responsible for its repair and maintenance. Any problems, such as blockages, have to be dealt with by all private owners upstream of the blockage, not just the owner of the property where the blockage is.
The large pipes that run under public roads are the most common types of public sewer. Smaller drains or private sewers are connected to the public sewer. If the sewer to your property was built before October 1937, then it is normally considered to be a public sewer. Some sewers built after October 1937, are "adopted" by the water companies as a public sewer. Public sewers are owned and maintained by the sewage companies. In Thurrock this will be Anglian Water. If the sewer was built before 1937, Anglian Water will in most cases be responsible for repairing or unblocking the sewer.
Thurrock Council is only responsible for drainage from its own buildings. It is neither responsible for privately owned drains or sewers, nor for public sewers. In an ideal world where defects to drainage systems were resolved by those responsible, environmental health staff would never have to get involved. In reality owners and occupiers are often unaware of their duties or indeed that there is a problem with their pipework. The Council sometimes has to step in to settle disputes and prevent serious public health problems.
In the event of the council's EP Team being notified of a blocked private sewer, initially an attempt to identify where the blockage is will be made. Once the location of the blockage has been found identification of the affected properties upstream of the blockage (i.e. who is running into the blocked sewer and so jointly responsible) will be attempted. Once the properties have been identified, Statutory Notices will be served on the occupier giving all occupiers upstream of the blockage 48 hours in which to effect clearance (this is the minimum time allowed under legislation). If after 48 hours the sewer is still blocked, the council will appoint a drainage contractor to clear the blockage. All reasonable expenses incurred by the council will then be charged to the occupiers of the affected properties.
If you find that your system is affected and water is not draining away properly, there may either be a blockage on your private system or the public sewer may be blocked.
A Road Gully is a small chamber covered by a metal grating, found in the gutter of a roadway. It is used to collect surface water from the road. The responsibility for road gullies belongs to Thurrock Council Highways Department, Tel 01375 366100.
