Household Drainage

 From 1st October Southern Water Services took over the responsibility for private shared sewers and they became part of the public sewer network. This change affected the whole country and the other sewerage companies took over responsibility for the private sewers in their areas, in the same way.

Prior to this, shared sewers were private and were the responsibility of the householders who connect to them, meaning that when things went wrong, it was the householders who had to pay for the repairs.

Since the transfer householders are only responsible for the section of pipe that serves their property alone and lies within their boundary. If you currently have insurance to cover your drains and sewers we do not recommend that you cancel it as you may need it in the future if anything goes wrong with the section of pipe that remains your responsibility. Repairs to sewers and drains can be extremely expensive.

There are some exceptions including septic tanks and cess pits and further details can be found on Southern Water Services website at; www.southernwater.co.uk/privatesewers

If you have problems with your shared sewer you should contact Southern Water Services on 0845 270 0360.