Drains and sewers FAQs

Does your enquiry relate to a main river? 

If so, contact the Environment Agency.

Does your enquiry involve land drainage or a 'non-main river'?

Email FRMplanning@Warwickshire.gov.uk quoting reference: SLA WDC’

Does your enquiry relate to a public sewer?

If so, contact Severn Trent Water Limited.

If you have a complaint regarding work or repairs done by Severn Trent, please contact them through their official complaints channel - you can also Contact OFWAT in regards to issues stemming from Severn Trent.

Does your enquiry relate to a private sewer, private land or a private road?

If so, it is the responsibility of the property owner. To find out who owns an area of land or property, contact the Land Registry.

Does your enquiry involve highway drainage, including road gullies and highway culverts (large pipes running under a road as part of a watercourse)?

If so, contact the Warwickshire County Council's County Highways. Alternatively, you can email them at countyhighways@warwickshire.gov.uk or call their customer service centre on 01926 412 515.

Do you want flooding advice?

If so, please see our Floods page.

My drains are blocked, who is responsible/what can I do? 

You are responsible for maintaining or repairing any drains inside the boundaries of your property - these are your private drains. You don't have to maintain or repair lateral drains that you share with your neighbour - your water company is responsible for these. You will have to pay to get work done to your private drains, but you are free to choose whichever company you want to do the work. Alternatively, you may take out insurance to pay for work on private drains.

Sometimes, you might be required to have insurance for the drain to your property. You should check with your building insurance company whether this is the case.

In some circumstances, Environmental Health can order you to carry out improvement work or replace a private drain, we might need to do this if, for example, officers feel your drain is too small for your property or if it’s causing a blockage.

How can I find out where my drains go?

Map of drains are available from Severn Trent Water Limited.

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