Is this legal plumbing?

[Dereekoo]

Obviously I can’t confirm just from a photo, but if it does go to a soak away and it’s foul drainage they can be prosecuted by your local water undertaker.

No they can't, water company have no jurisdiction with rainwater and soakaways only surface water and foul sewers. Environmental agency are ones tasked with permitted foul discharges to ground ( not surface water)

 

[Dereekoo]

Turns out it’s an over flow for a water softener - so shouldn’t cause a problem - should it? Would have been nice to have been asked though!

Yes it would and they are not allowed to trespass on your land with pipes etc, a bit like overhanging gutters

 

[Madrab]

Sure would have been nice .... TBH it doesn't matter what it is, I don't believe their pipework is allowed to cross over the boundary like that. What is the other pipe they have coming out of their wall that just terminates in the air? If that's just an overflow why didn't they just do the same with that pipe?
The next step is yours though, how are they as neighbours, TBH if they were nice neighbours though they shouldn't have allowed it to start with, certainly without asking

 

[Wilkinson]

Just had a nice chat with neighbours and

Sure would have been nice .... TBH it doesn't matter what it is, I don't believe their pipework is allowed to cross over the boundary like that. What is the other pipe they have coming out of their wall that just terminates in the air? If that's just an overflow why didn't they just do the same with that pipe?
The next step is yours though, how are they as neighbours, TBH if they were nice neighbours though they shouldn't have allowed it to start with, certainly without asking

Thanks for advice,the small pipe is an overflow the bigger one only lets out water if there’s a fault which is how we discovered it as there was water on our path. The soak away was full of lichen which may have blocked this pipe causing the fault. Strange set up.
Anyway they are nice neighbours so we have agreed to leave as is unless it causes problems should we move due to crossing our boundary

 

[mattylad]

Hmm, potential upside is does this now mean that (because the drain is being shared) that it is the water companies responsibility if something goes wrong?

I agree, the plumber should not have done it without consulting you first.

 

[Dereekoo]

Hmm, potential upside is does this now mean that (because the drain is being shared) that it is the water companies responsibility if something goes wrong?

I agree, the plumber should not have done it without consulting you first.

Water companies have nothing to do with drains going to soakaways

 

[Madrab]

I guess the only other question to be asked is - how do you know it's a soakaway? Has that been confirmed in a survey/drawing and who confirmed it?

 

[Wilkinson]

I guess the only other question to be asked is - how do you know it's a soakaway? Has that been confirmed in a survey/drawing and who confirmed it?

It’s serves the Downpipe from our adjoining roofs only, so I’m presuming it’s called a soak away? Anyway the neighbours pipe going in is the water softeners drainage pipe which lets out what is called ‘brine’ every two to three days. Hopefully this won’t cause any problems for us. I did say though that if we ever sold that it might have to be moved.

 

[Madrab]

I think your neighbours needs to be a bit more aware of what it is and what it's being used for. I wouldn't be too sure it's a soakaway given it's so close to the main soil downpipe and its proximity to the house.
Soakaways tend to be a good few meters away from foundations though it may be channeled from the gulley. If it is a ground soakaway though,

I'm not sure it's acceptable to have brine/salt water leeching into the ground through a soakaway, to be totally honest with you. Not saying it isn't ok, just not sure if environmentally it's ok or not

 

[Wilkinson]

I think your neighbours needs to be a bit more aware of what it is and what it's being used for. I wouldn't be too sure it's a soakaway given it's so close to the main soil downpipe and its proximity to the house.
Soakaways tend to be a good few meters away from foundations though it may be channeled from the gulley. If it is a ground soakaway though,

I'm not sure it's acceptable to have brine/salt water leeching into the ground through a soakaway, to be totally honest with you. Not saying it isn't ok, just not sure if environmentally it's ok or not

As far as I know this soak away goes into the main drain, so hopefully it won’t cause any environmental issues.
But you are right they had no idea that water softeners empty themselves regularly and that was what the pipe was for.
Thank you for your advice it’s appreciated.

 

[denso13]

As far as I know this soak away goes into the main drain

That's where he confusion is coming from. A soak away is completely different to mains drainage.

 

[mattylad]

Come the winter when stuff starts to freeze, I would not want anything releasing water at my front door.

Maybe they are OK with that though?

 

[Wilkinson]

That's where he confusion is coming from. A soak away is completely different to mains drainage.

Ah someone told me that was what it was as it was only rain water going in.
Still bit cheeky to have done it as it goes into our drain which we are responsible for.

 

[Wilkinson]

Come the winter when stuff starts to freeze, I would not want anything releasing water at my front door.

Maybe they are OK with that though?

If it causes a problem they’ll be the first to know!

 

[HERTS P&D]

Is it a storm drain? Does your and your neigbours guttering drain into it?

Post a pciture from the rear of the garden looking back at the house.

Andy