Downpipe drain

[jambojambo]

Hi, hopefully someone can advise me on where the water from my downpipe should go. I've been noticing a puddle forming around the base of the downpipe when it rains and it doesn't look like water is draining away properly.

I did a bit of digging today and found that there's a pipe in the ground (see pic) that seems to be in the right place to take the water away, only its completely blocked (I can feel solid matter blocking it). I poured a bit of water in there and it's not drained away at all.

I'm new to this but I assume that the pipe goes either to the storm drain, or to a hole in the garden somewhere?
Is it a simple matter of getting a drain unblocker out to clear the way?

Help much appreciated,
Jambo

p.s. This is the first house I've owned so bit of a newbie at all this.

 

[Burnerman]

The million dollar question, Jambo......the pipe could go to a drain, soakaway or simply to a hole in the garden - who knows?
Best to get as much crap out as you can - a wet vac is handy here - and then consider power jetting, maybe with a pressure washer attachment?
John

 

[loply]

Has somebody nicked your gully?

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

Years ago, I was redoing the front garden fence and I came across a lot of broken/blocked salt glazed piping that lay exactly on the boundary line. As I proceeded with the fence, I ended up at my semi and a PVC rainwater pipe, which went into the salt glaze. Perhaps your rain water engineering is of the same calibre?
Frank

 

[jambojambo]

Prince of darkness, that's an excellent suggestion. The blocked pipe does indeed follow the line of a new-ish fence to within a foot.

Thanks for all the help by the way. I'll be trying to unblock it a bit more, before getting any professionals in.

Jambo

 

[jambojambo]

Update! I did a bit more digging today and It turns out there is an access hatch, but it never had a cover (see new photo). The whole section was full of stone, mud and sand. Luckily there's a u-bend there so the blockage was actually quite small and I could clear it by hand. Water runs through it quite nicely now.

Now I've just got to make sure this doesn't happen again in the future.

Thanks for all the help.