Lowering a manhole

[swa110w]

I have a manhole cover to a surface water drain on the very edge of my property. The area around the manhole has sunk quite a bit and the concrete around it is crumbling away, making it a bit of a hazard - a little speed bump at the end of our drive.

I've been in touch with the Council, who said it was the responsibility of Yorkshire Water. So I contacted Yorkshire Water who have been to assess it and agree that it is not right.

I don't know the full details yet, but it sounds like Yorkshire Water will lower the manhole at their expense but they won't sort out the tarmac around it. Part of the tarmac (1 side of the manhole) will be on the pavement, which the Council will have to rectify, but the rest (the other 3 sides) will be on our drive, which will be my responsibility.

I have a few questions:

1. Is it really my responsibility to sort out the tarmac? Surely if Yorkshire Water agree it needs adjusting, they should put it right?
2. If the Council come to do the tarmac on the pavement, surely they could just finish the job? Would they really charge me for the the rest of it?
3. If I did have to pay for the tarmacing, does anyone have a rough idea how much it would cost? I don't want to proceed with this if it is going to cost me a fortune!

 

[SimonH2]

2. If the Council come to do the tarmac on the pavement, surely they could just finish the job? Would they really charge me for the the rest of it?

You're 'avvin a larf surely ?
What you might be able to do is find out what contractor they will be using - and approach the contractor along the lines of "while you are doing that job, how much to do my 3 sides at the same visit ?"

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Highly unlikely the manhole has moved, more likely the ground around the manhole has sunk. I suspect YW/Council will simply reinstate the pavement to its former level, flush with the cover.

It then follows that it would be your drive that has sunk, and unless the sewer below has collapsed, causing the ground to subside, then it's your responsibility. If you want it fixed you can either, get a quote to repair, bodge yourself with cold lay tarmac or chop lot out and make good with cold lay or concrete.

For the council to do any work to your driveway would be chargeable, it is your property, (unless the Council damaged it in the first place!)

 

[swa110w]

Wishful thinking I guess, but I just wondered whether they would "finish the job" and tarmac all around the manhole. Would they really just do one side of it and leave the rest open?

So if I do end up paying to have the remaining three sides tarmaced, can anyone give me a rough idea of how much it would cost?

 

[swa110w]

Just to update you on what has happened with the manhole cover...

After various calls from Yorkshire Water saying that they were very busy and that the manhole was unlikely to be fixed within the next few months, a couple of workmen suddenly arrived early one morning.

They dug up the tarmac, took off the manhole cover (is that called the "biscuit"?), removed a ring of metal, put the cover back, then put up some safety fences and left - all within about half an hour.

Later that day, the council arrived and laid some more tarmac - both on the pavement and on my drive! Job done! And completely free!

So it seems that, occasionally, the council will go that extra mile and finish the job. No home-made cold tarmac bodge-job necessary!

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Glad to hear it been sorted. For info, the 'cover' is the cover, the 'ring of metal' sounds like it may be the frame for the cover. The biscuit is the concrete slab (usually circular nowadays) that goes on the top of the chamber to provide a 'lid', with a aperture to allow access into the chamber. Cover and frame may sit on top of the biscuit, or can be built up with engineering bricks or concrete spacing rings to suit finished level.