FAQs and Information

Try our question bank to get an answer to your query. If you can't find what you are looking for please contact us and we will be happy to help.

Unfortunately we don’t currently offer this service, you will need to directly employ a contractor to complete the connection.

You may find our guidance documents useful.

If you search the internet or a business directory for 'drainage contractors' you will be able to find a company that can undertake the work you require.

We don’t currently have a list of approved contractors for wastewater connections. You can search the internet or business directory for a list of 'drainage contractors'.

We can provide you with a copy of our asset map, but would recommend that the availability, line and level of the sewer be confirmed.

It will also help your chosen contractor to choose an appropriate place to make the connection and by what method of connection.

Please contact us to request a copy of our asset map.

You may find our guidance documents useful.

There are three types of sewers, foul water, surface water and combined sewers. You may find our guidance documents useful.

We can provide you with a copy of our asset map, but would recommend that the availability, line and level of the sewer be confirmed.

It will also help your chosen contractor to choose an appropriate place to make the connection and by what method of connection.

Please contact us to request a copy of our asset map.

There are three ways of connecting to a public sewer, a junction, and saddle or manhole connection.

The method you propose to make the connection will need to meet with our requirements, and generally will depend on the size of the connection being made and the size of the existing sewer you are proposing to connect to.

If the public sewer you are connecting to is a brick built sewer, we would ask that you please consult with us to confirm the method required. Please call us on – 0345 450 9549.

You may find our guidance documents useful.

Our preference is that all new connections are made soffit to soffit (top of pipe, to top of pipe).

If there are engineering difficulties that mean a soffit to soffit connection can’t be made or will create significant health and safety issues, we may consider approving a backdrop connection.

A direct connection is a connection made directly onto to a public sewer and we will be approving the physical connection.

An indirect connection is a connection made to a private drain or sewer that eventually connects with a public sewer and we will be approving the discharge of additional flows to the public sewer.

You may find our guidance documents useful.

If the manhole is part of an existing public sewerage system then yes, you can connect to it.

You will need to contact us to make an application and receive approval from us prior to making the connection.

You may find our guidance documents useful.

The average foul flow rate for a domestic property is 0.046l/s.

For commercial/industrial properties the flow rate will vary and we recommend using a consultant to calculate the flows for you.

Surface water flow rates are calculated using the total impermeable area (roof, paved, hardstanding areas) in m2, that will be collecting rain water that will flow into the surface water drains and sewers.

As part of the evaluation of any application all flow rates will be checked.

No, you can submit one application for multiple connections but you will need to pay the appropriate fee for each proposed connection requiring approval.

Foul water sewers are not designed to receive surface water flows, meaning they are generally smaller in size. Connecting a surface water system into a foul sewer could cause sewerage flooding during heavy periods of rain.

We will only need your contractor’s details if you are making a direct connection.

A direct connection is a connection made directly onto to a public sewer and we will be approving the physical connection.

There are risks associated with working on a public sewerage system and as part of the application process we need to check the ability of your chosen contractor to highlight such risks and make proposals for dealing with them should the arise. Ensuring that any risks to the site workers and public are minimised.

We need to be sure that they have competent working practices to ensure the integrity of the sewers are maintained.

The above is achieved through the evaluation of the contractors Health & Safety Policy, site specific risk assessments and method statements.

We will only need your contractor’s details if you are making a direct connection.

The site specific risk assessments and method statements are requested as a means for us to establish if your chosen contractor is at the required level of competency, that we are happy for them to work on our assets.

The risk assessment should detail all the risks associated with carrying out the connection work and state how the risks will be minimised or avoided.

The method statement should detail the sequence and methodology of the work required to complete the connection.

Yes, the risks associated with the connection will exist no matter who completes the connection.

The site specific risk assessments and method statements are requested as a means for us to establish if you are at the required level of competency, that we are happy for you to work on our assets.

The risk assessment should detail all the risks associated with carrying out the connection work and state how the risks will be minimised or avoided.

The method statement should detail the sequence and methodology of the work required to complete the connection.

Once we have received your complete application and supporting documentations, we will acknowledge receipt and provide you with a unique reference number.

Your applications will be evaluated and either approved or rejected within 21 calendar days.

You should not make the connection prior to receiving your approval notice.

For direct connections you or your chosen contractor will need to provide 2 days’ notice, advising when the physical connection onto the existing public sewer is being made, allowing us the opportunity to attend site inspect the connection work.

Once the connection is completed and inspection signed off, a formal letter will be issued confirming acceptance and adoption of assets when relevant.

You may need a copy of this letter, as evidence of a legal connection, should you choose to sell your property in the future.

The fees that you will need to pay will depend on the type of connection you are making, and can be found in our developer charges summary.

An application fee covers the cost of evaluating and processing the application, the fee will vary depending on the type of application being made and the level of assessment required.

For certain applications other fees may be required, all are fees are detailed and can be found in our developer charges summary.

Yes, you can either call one of our team on 0345 450 9549 or contact us via email.

We will try our best to answer your queries, or if more specialised we will arrange for a call back from a more appropriate member of our team.

For direct connections you or your chosen contractor will need to provide 2 days’ notice, advising when the physical connection onto the existing public sewer is being made, allowing us the opportunity to attend site inspect the connection work.

Once the connection is completed and inspection signed off, a formal letter will be issued confirming acceptance and adoption of assets when relevant.

For indirect connections you can go ahead and complete the connection, an inspection is not required.

You may need a copy of this letter, as evidence of a legal connection, should you choose to sell your property in the future.

You can start work on your connecting pipework, but this will be at your own risk as your proposed connection point may change.

No work should start when it comes to making the physical connection until you have received a formal letter of approval.

The approval will be valid for a 6 month period, should you go over this time period then please contact us and we will advise on how best to progress.

You will need to issue any revised details for evaluation, and pay a revised submission fee detailed in our developer charges summary.

We will re-assess your application and revised details and either reject or issue a new approval notice.

If you need to cross third party land in order to make the connection to the public sewer you must first get permission from the land owner.

The approval notice is an approval to connect to the public sewer and does not give the right to cross third party land.

The foul sewer carries used waste water to a sewerage treatment works for treatment. A surface water sewer carries unused rain water directly to a local river, stream or soakaway.

Used water would consist of any run off from a sink, toilet, bath, shower, washing machine, dishwasher, etc.

Processed water from a commercial property would also be considered as used water.

A soakaway is a method for dealing with surface water run off when a local river or stream is not available.

A soakaway is designed to allow the water to slowly soak into the ground, there are a number a reasons why a soakaway may not be a viable solution to dealing with surface water run-off, with the most common being that the ground conditions are not suitable.

If you are ready for an inspection then please give us a call on 0345 450 9549 (or email us) and we will make the necessary arrangements.

If you have made an indirect connection the connecting pipework will remain private.

If you have made a direct connection, we will generally take ownership of the pipework from the connection point back to the boundary of your premises. However in certain circumstances this may not be the case, if you require further clarification then please contact us.

The local council building control should consult with us regarding any proposals that are situated within 3 metres of the public sewerage system.

We would recommend that you contact us to discuss as you may need to make an application to either build near to the sewer, or request for it to be diverted.

You will need to make an application for the sewer to be diverted under section 185 of the Water Industry Act 1991 and enter into a formal agreement with us before any work commences on site.

The local council building control should consult with us regarding any proposals that are situated within 3 metres of the public sewerage system.

We would recommend that you contact us to discuss as you will need to make an application if you propose to build within 3 metres of the sewer, if this can’t be achieved then the sewer will need to be diverted.

Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM) state that you must notify the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) when undertaking projects which meet certain criteria. This is based on the number of man days required. For further information please see the HSE website.

We will not undertake any work on a site which is notifiable to the HSE where this has not happened. As part of your application you will need to provide us with information about the CDM co-ordinator for your project if it is deemed notifiable.

The exact timescale for progressing an application for a section 104 agreement cannot be given as we will not offer an agreement until the design of the adoptable system has been agreed. The timescale it takes to evaluate a submission is dependent on the quality of the technical submission.

Once the design is technically complete we will make an offer and when you have accepted we will prepare and issue the agreements for completion.

The money is deposited in a holding account and interest is paid at a rate determined by OFWAT. The deposit will be released in accordance with the terms of the legal agreement.

The purpose of the maintenance period is to allow defects that were not apparent during construction or the pre-maintenance inspection to be highlighted prior to adoption. If by the time we carry out the pre-maintenance inspection the sewers have been built for a number of years, we may consider waiving or reducing the maintenance period. Our decision will depend upon the condition and operation of the sewers at the time of the inspection.

No, the pumping station and the associated system will only become our responsibility once they are formally vested as public in accordance with the terms of the adoption agreement.

It is the developer’s responsibility to provide a copy or a summary of the section 104 agreement to all purchasers of land served by the adoptable sewers.

Whilst there may be an adoption agreement in place, the agreement places an onus on the developer to finalise the agreement and ensure that the sewers are adopted.

There could be various reasons why adoption has been completed and the developer should be able to advice on the current position.

If the developer is unable to assist please feel free to contact us.

Use our supply area map to confirm if we are your service provider.

You can contact us to apply for a copy of our asset map. And please see our applications and guidance section where you can download a copy of the application form, and our developer charges summary, which will detail the associated costs.

The current methods of payment for you to choose from are:

  • BACS Payment
  • Debit or Credit Card Payment
  • Cheque Payment

For further details please feel free to contact us.