Neighbour connecting into our sewer pipe?

[Sparky54]

We have an existing side and rear extension at the back half of our detached house. The waste pipe from the new en-suite and the downstairs sink run in an underground pipe at the side of our house (where it isn’t extended) into a new manhole connection on our property to the main sewer which runs along the front of the houses. The gap between our house and next door where it isn’t extended is about 2m. Our neighbour is considering fitting a downstairs toilet and has mentioned joining into our waste pipe running underground on our side of the gap. What are the issues with this arrangement? Would anything legal need putting in place? Any advice would be very much appreciated

 

[^woody^]

No connection can be made you your own pipework unless you agree to it. If you do agree, then that pipework becomes the responsibility of your water authority - so I would suspect that you both would need their permission to do this

 

[Tigercubrider]

I can’t help but my estate was built in the mid 50’s.
The sewer runs behind the houses along the line and each house has a manhole that empties it’s own waste to a common run. Worst case, a blockage at the end can make a row eventually back up.

I doubt that they could connect on your land?

 

[mattylad]

As it is on your land then I would assume that they need your permission to do it, they would need to do the work according to building regs and make good all ground afterwards.

NO half assed measures, no digging it just enough - it should go full depth (whatever that is) and all at their cost.

What is their alternative, could they make a longer run within their own property to the public sewers?

 

[Sparky54]

Thanks for the advice. I think their issue isn’t so much running another underground soil pipe parallel to ours and maybe less than a metre away, it’s more connecting into the main sewer as they have a thick concrete slab at the top of their drive over where the end of the run and the inspection chamber would need to go in, and the main sewer is 2m or more down.

I will mention needing the agreement of the water company if we do decide to go down the joining-into-ours route, and leave it to the neighbour to progress that.