Sewer pipe responsibility
There are two main types of sewers – private and public. Private sewers are the responsibility of you, the customer. While public sewers belong to us, the water company, so are our responsibility. In addition, there are highway drains and gullies that are the responsibility of local authorities.
Our Hafren Dyfrdwy Waste Network Catchment is predominantly rural. In total we maintain 21,349 property connections. These are serviced by some 492km of sewers, and more than 90 sewage pumping stations. Newtown and Welshpool are the two largest towns on our patch and together they account for around 50 percent of our Waste customer base. We are proud to provide waste services to a further 48 smaller catchment serving hamlets and villages across Powys.
The drainage pipes located beneath your house, garden or driveway belong to you and are your responsibility. These stop being your responsibility the moment they reach outside the boundary of your property or connect to pipes serving another property. So if there’s a problem with a private drain or sewer, it’s up to you to pay for an independent drain clearing company to carry out any clearance work.
The large sewers under the road or pavement are our responsibility. Due to a change in law a few years ago, the sections of sewers and pipe that you share with neighbours outside your property boundary are also now our responsibility. In the event that a public sewer is blocked, it’s our job to fix the problem.
Sewer pipe responsibility
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Responsibility of highway drains
We are not responsible for blocked highway drains. You should report blocked highway drains to the relevant local authority - usually your county council. They are responsible for keeping road gullies clear so that water can drain away freely. If a gully becomes blocked and causes flooding in the road, the Highways Authority will be responsible for clearing it.
We are partly responsible for highway drainage, which is why you'll see a highway drainage charge on your bill. If too much water enters our sewers and drains, and that casues them to overflow, we are responsible.
Is one of our sewers blocked? Let us know immediately
If your query is urgent call our 24-hour Customer Centre on 0800 085 8033.