NEED URGENT HELP...

Soldato
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Right, in my back garden there is a foul smell, looking further down my garden there is a man-hole cover with water all around that stinks.

Now, my wife's dad (we rent his house while he lives abroad) said that the pipe that drainage runs through is not connected to this house, the pipe just runs at the bottom of their garden.
We spoke to the neighbour behind ours and he said theirs is blocked too, but they had their drainage people out (who he has insurance with) and he said the problem is our end, yet we have been told that our house does NOT connect to that pipe and out pipe runs through our front garden and that is fine as our man hole isn't backed up. Would these 2 pipes be linked?

Where can I get a map of the drainage system in my area ASAP to prove him wrong? He is trying to say it is our problem.

Any help would be greatly appreciated...
 
Associate
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Your local water company should have drainage and sewage maps available, but they often come with a price attached. I think South West water charge around 50 notes for them, and that may include snail mail postage. Not really the urgent help you need I guess :(
 
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Call up your water company and explain the situation. They will be able to pull up a map showing the layout and advise you of whose problem it is.

Have quick read of this post of mine from last year will explains the jargon of drain/sewer types and who is responsible for fixing them:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=17180950&postcount=47

If you lift the manhole out front and water passes through it when you turn the tap on it is a virtual certainty none of your pipes go into his.
 
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if the pipe is running through your land but its not you that is connected to it, then the liable party is the next property attached to the drain, the local water board will come and look at it for you, they usually put a camera up there to find exactly where the blockage is, you can then notify the person who caused it and ask them to get it sorted, you may have trouble with that if they dont actually want to pay for it, I had this problem the other year with a neighbour who kept pouring fat down the drain.
Local water board will tell you what you can do and will clear it for you, they did for me
 
Soldato
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Can anyone help? I need to find out if this pipe is ours...

Running kitchen tap with red dye down the plug-hole = flows through the man-hole in the front garden.

Running the bath / Flushing the toilet = Goes through the front man-hole

There is nothing in my household which goes in my back garden...

I will upload a photo shortly...

Council wont touch it as it is on private land.
Dyno-Rod wont touch it as its not ours and we aint willing to pay as its not our fault
His bloke wont touch it as its our problem...

Constantly hitting my head against a brick wall...
I need these plans tonight...anyone?
 
Soldato
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Depends on if the sewer in your back garden is "private" as water company are only reasonable for mains sewers. If it's a private connection sewer they won't help you much at all.

Also although they can provide a copy of their GIS for the area they will probably charge and you won't get it immediately and it will likely only show mains sewers so see above re private/water company pipes.

Only way you will get plans tonight is if you know somebody who works for your local water company and is sitting at one of their machines with GIS access. You could phone the helpline and ask if they can tell you if the pipe in the back garden is mains sewer or even on their system but they probably won't have access to GIS themselves.

Ask your next door neighbour if you can chuck some dye down his toilet and see where it ends up.
 
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Soldato
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123321.jpg


This has got worse since the neighbours sewer bloke came to have a look, which I have had words about anyway...
 
Soldato
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I would think that all you can do tonight is invite your neighbour round, show him you throwing dye and water down the various drains and loo and show him where its coming out.

Then go round to his and do the same thing...obviously you need to keep on good terms with your neighbour while you do this...
 
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Bit hard to make out the pic.

Looks like your neighbour's contractor pulled the lid off the inspection chamber and left it off? Sewage is emerging unimpeded whenever your neighbour uses water?

Unless you can get your neighbour to capitulate I'm not sure what to suggest other than getting onto the council and environmental health.

If you get no joy from any avenues the keyboard warrior in me would say put the lid back on and seal round the edge with rapid setting cement.
 
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This may help.

Q: The drains from our house run into a pipe that goes under next door's garden. The pipe is getting quite old and it now runs quite slowly. On occasions, the pipe backs up, although thankfully not into our house. The neighbour says that it is up to us to sort out the problem and that we will have to pay for the whole cost. It would make more sense to reroute the pipe completely, but the neighbour will not agree. What can I do?

A: You almost certainly have a legal right (an “easement”) to drain your waste through the pipe on your neighbour's land, either as a formal right or as a result of an implied obligation. The more important question is who is required to mend the pipe. I assume there is nothing at the Land Registry or in your title deeds that says who is responsible for maintenance, but it is always worth checking.

Unless there is a specific agreement, the general rule is clear. The owner of land over which someone has an easement is under no obligation to maintain or repair it. Responsibility lies solely with the person who has the right to use the easement - in legal parlance this person is known as “the owner of the dominant tenement”. The rule applies equally to pipes and to other forms of easements, such as rights to use paths or roadways.

Theoretically, the owner of the dominant tenement is not positively required to carry out repairs, but in practice he is. This is because if the pipe breaks and causes a flood, the landowner can sue the owner of the dominant tenement for the damage caused. Although not obliged to repair the pipes, the landowner cannot go any further. He is not allowed actively to block the pipe or otherwise interfere with your easement.

You have no right to lay a fresh drain along a different course (no matter how sensible that may seem) because that would amount to an entirely new easement. However, an easement of drainage will include by implication any ancillary right necessary to protect it. If there is a problem, you therefore have an implied right to go on to your neighbour's land at any reasonable time to repair and maintain the pipe.

The writer is a barrister at Tanfield Chambers.

http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/article3983827.ece


This may also be of help. It is from Kingston council but yours is probably similar.

When would the Council become involved?

* Private households, being served by a drain and/or private sewers are unable adequately to deal with the problem. In these cases we are able to serve a Legal Notice requiring the work to be done. The work may be done by the Council in default of the owners. However this will be subject to an administration charge and it will normally be more economical for the owners to agree amongst themselves to arrange for the works to be carried out.

* The council has reason to believe that a risk to public health exists and it is unlikely that the person(s) responsible will be able or willing to carry out necessary works.

http://www.kingston.gov.uk/browse/environment/drainage_and_sewage.htm
 
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Soldato
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Think it costs £4 but you can enter the details of the address you're at here:

http://www.landregistry.gov.uk/www/...9ZQnB3LzZfTEY1NDE4RzdVMU9TRjBJOElDODNVVjIwRzI!

That will give you the title register of the property, and as those drains are not yours, it should say either under the Proprietorship Register or Charges register on the Title document who's drains they are.

EDIT: Link was too long, at the top of the page it says "Find a Property" click there and enter the details.
 
Soldato
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He is doing my head in now. My wife just rang saying he came round today and is still insisting it is our responsibility, He brought some plans round which show the drain going under our back garden, down the side of the house, then ours joins on to theirs by ANOTHER damn man hole at the front of our garden in the corner buried under loads of soil, we never knew we had, but surely wouldn't that means the water would back up to my front drainage if they are connected, and not just through the back which his is directly connected to?

I'm going to go home tonight, pull up that drain cover, and check if there is a blockage. If there aint, Im dragging him down, if there is, then fair enuff I will get it looked into on my side but my drains in front garden would surely back up?

In regards to the 'Fourstars' comment, the man-hole cover had 2 halves of a slab on the top we use to put a plant pot on, their guy has lifted this and left it like it, making it worst, but has no touched the man-hole cover...
 
Soldato
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just give dynarod a ringq

They are coming out tomorrow, and no-doubt it will be expensive, but he is also going to write up a report to show it isnt our fault they are blocked, but I have to check the front drain to make sure i dont look an idiot :)
 
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