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Responsibility

What is a lateral drain?

A lateral drain is the section of pipe carrying waste from your property boundary to the public sewer. Since October 2011 lateral drains in England and Wales have been the responsibility of the regional water and sewerage company, not the homeowner.

The distinction matters financially. The drain within your boundary serving only your property is yours to maintain. The moment it crosses the boundary it becomes a lateral drain and the water company's problem.

If a blockage is in the lateral, the water company clears it at no cost. Many homeowners pay private contractors for work the water company would have done free simply because nobody explained the boundary rule.

Where the boundary is unclear, a CCTV survey with sonde location will establish exactly where the defect sits relative to it.

Still not sure? Just ask us.

We're a small, family-run team based in East Grinstead, on call 24/7 across East Grinstead and a 20-mile radius. No obligation — tell us what you're seeing and we'll tell you straight what it is.

0330 1331 347

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