Sewers

Sewers

Sewerage undertakers and sewerage systems deal with surface water and sewer effluent. This involves the laying of sewers, their maintenance, connections to them and dealing with the disposal of sewage and sewage treatment works. Highways drains and culverts are also connected to sewers and drains, as their run off can enter into the sewerage system.

Public sewers and lateral drains

A ‘public sewer’ or ‘lateral drain’ is one vested in a sewerage undertaker in its capacity as such. Thus any sewer or lateral drain vested in it under statute will be public, but if it has sewers or lateral drains in relation to its premises they will be privately owned by the undertaker. See Practice Note: Sewers and drains—key definitions.

Undertakers’ sewers and drains

Undertakers have statutory powers and duties in relation to sewers and drains laid in streets or on other land, such as the power to enter private land and the duty to pay compensation in respect of works done.

Other powers include the undertaker’s right of property in its sewers and drains, its duty to move pipes and apparatus, the closure of sewers and the extinguishment

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