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To my gutter down pipe
Neighbor Cut my underground pipe
- Thread starter JustinScot
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Dig a soak away and reroute easy stress free answer
Absolute tosh, if the ground is clay then a soakaway is as much use as a chocolate teapot, and many Buildings drain into either a surface water or combined sewer.
Chances are that drain went to a surface water sewer, (very unlikely a soakaway would have been put on the neighbours property, and if there isn't room or suitability on your own property, the drain will need rerouting to a suitable point to discharge into a sewer. I would be speaking with your Insurance Company, Building Control at the Local Council, and the Water Company. (Sewer becomes the Water Co's responsibility once it passes the boundary onto neighbouring property.) I would also check your Water Bill, if you are being charged for rainwater disposal, make sure the rainwater is going to a sewer!
I suspect the Neighbours Builder wasn't aware of its presence until it was uncovered whilst digging the footings, and rather than do the right thing and divert it at their expense, they've just buried the end and hoped no-one would notice.
Yup +1 ... most surface water drains will run into a seperate surface water or combined sewer. Soakaways more prevolent in remote/ rural areas.
Even then soakaways are only pertinent once a survey of ground conditions are performed. Given the fact that the water isn't soaking away as it is, then one probably isn't suitable.
I'd have a chat to your neighbour first, explain the situation, point out that they have obviously inherited a problem from the previous owners and it needs to be sorted out one way or another. Either by them cooperating or if they won't play ball then it would be time to get the relevent bodies involved.
Even then soakaways are only pertinent once a survey of ground conditions are performed. Given the fact that the water isn't soaking away as it is, then one probably isn't suitable.
I'd have a chat to your neighbour first, explain the situation, point out that they have obviously inherited a problem from the previous owners and it needs to be sorted out one way or another. Either by them cooperating or if they won't play ball then it would be time to get the relevent bodies involved.
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I actually did think about mentioning clay, as indeed that is a mitigating reason -thank you for highlighting that
building regulations do state rainwater should not discharge into foulwater drainage
H5 – Drainage Through a Separate System
Section H5 states that these two systems must be kept separate e.g. rainwater drainage cannot drain into foulwater drainage and vice-versa.
yes they might well do -but it doesnt mean it is correct
That section of the regs is only relative as far as new construction is concerned. Whereby new builds/extension should cater for separate system of surface and waste, where a new or replacement separate sewer system is either in place already or being constructed. I think it would be fair to say that there are still many more legacy combined sewers out there than there are separate.
The building regs have changed to address the impacts to the sewer infrastructure, through increased population etc and the environment ... no point in turning clear rainwater into grey water, flooding etc and as time moves on the older combined system will slowly be replaced.
Current Building regs cater comfortably for combined sewers - Section H3.5.
Play it carefully, if you can't reroute elsewhere into your own drainage system then the easiest solution for you would be to divert into their new gully at the end of the extension - either with their permission, or without them noticing (when they go on holiday). Personally there is no way I would get into legal fights over this.
Hopefully this wouldn't need to get into the realms of legality. This should really only require the authorities/transporter notified and only if the neighbours is unwilling to capitulate. That would be down to how the neighbour is approached and how it is put to them as it's pretty obvious what happened. How long has the current neighbour been there?
If this is classed as shared and has been built over and the OP is paying for surface water services then all they would need to do is notify the relative bods and they are the ones that should then ensure it is corrected.
If this is classed as shared and has been built over and the OP is paying for surface water services then all they would need to do is notify the relative bods and they are the ones that should then ensure it is corrected.
New Builds would be expected to be on separate systems of drainage, with surface water attenuated on bigger sites to ensure the runoff rate from the site is no greater than it would have been prior to building works taking place.
Existing Buildings and extensions to existing buildings differ. In some cases the Drainage hierarchy for disposal of surface water is used, i.e. first option would be a soakaway. If that isn't practical or possible, then look to a surface water drain. If that is not practical or possible then under some circumstances drainage to a combined sewer is acceptable.
Also bear in mind the Victorians designed their drainage systems to be washed out at intervals by storms and periods of heavy rainfall. This is one of the reasons why £millions is being spent in London on the Thames Tideway 'Super 'Sewer' to intercepts these flows, (rather than dischrage into the Thames), and convey them to Beckton for treatment.
Well a worth a visit Hugh...
HOME | Crossness Engines
Built by Sir Joseph Bazalgette for London's sewage system and opened in 1865, Crossness Pumping Station is a Grade 1 Listed building and features some of the most spectacular ornamental Victorian cast ironwork found in the world today.
www.crossness.org.uk
Abbey Mills - Hidden London
The story of Abbey Mills (south of Stratford in Newham) – its old and new pumping stations and its possible mega-mosque. Plus a photo and a map.
hidden-london.com
Thanks, sadly a bit of a Busman's Holiday, as spend most my working life now in and around STW's, but the whole project is an amazing feat of Civil Engineering, and it would be interesting to see Bazalgettes achievements up close and personal. (The electric submersibles in use today arent quite as interesting....) The sheer scale of the London Sewerage system is staggering, I have been following the project on Social Media and TV, it will make a massive difference to the quality of the Thames once operational.
I rate Bazalgette over Brunel.
He is my personal hero.
Have read all the books about the Great Stink and the Collera epidemic.
Busmans holiday maybe, but it's of personal interest to me....
Most people would be very interested if their sh it didn't magically disappear!
Not uncommon for a shared soak away. Most new build sites have a shared soakaway that often takes up to 3 properties. Yes it is lazy but it is within the building regs.
You need to speak to your neighbour in the first instance to make them aware and then the second course is to contact building control who will have signed this work off. My guess is that the neighbours were told to re-route your connection into the new soak away they would have had to build as their new extension was on top of the existing. Either way it is their responsibility to correct this.
You need to speak to your neighbour in the first instance to make them aware and then the second course is to contact building control who will have signed this work off. My guess is that the neighbours were told to re-route your connection into the new soak away they would have had to build as their new extension was on top of the existing. Either way it is their responsibility to correct this.
I've been trying to get some sort of site visit before it's completed.
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