Find out who's responsible for a drain or sewer

Responsibility for drains is split between:

• you, as a homeowner
• the water company

You’re responsible for any maintenance and repairs for the drain that serves your property.

The diagrams below will help you identify who’s responsible for a drain.

The pink pipe is the water companies responsibility, and the green pipe is the responsibility of the homeowner.

If a problem is outside of your property boundary, you may need to contact your water company.

You're responsible for the maintenance and repairs of:

• internal plumbing
• private drains
• shared private drains

You'll need to arrange for a plumber or specialist to fix the problem. We cannot recommend any commercial services.

Your water company is responsible for the maintenance and repairs of:

• lateral drains
• private sewers
• public sewers

As the highway authority, we're responsible for drains and gullies on the road. You can report a blocked drain or flooding online

Find out how to report a flood