There are several types of pipes commonly used to discharge waste from your property.

Drains
A drain takes the wastewater from a single property. There are two kinds of wastewater, foul sewage and surface water runoff (i.e. rainwater).

Private drains are the responsibility of the property owners.

Private Sewers
Drains often combine to form a Private Sewer. They remain private up to the point of connection with the public sewer (maintained by the sewage company), even if the private sewer runs under public land or highways. The overall ownership of a private sewer is with all property owners whose wastewater flows into it, they are jointly responsible for its repair and maintenance. Any problems, such as blockages, have to be dealt with by all private owners upstream of the blockage, not just the owner of the property where the blockage is.

Public Sewers
The large pipes that run under public roads are the most common types of public sewer. Smaller drains or private sewers are connected to the public sewer. If the sewer to your property was built before October 1937, then it is normally considered to be a public sewer. Some sewers built after October 1937, are "adopted" by the water companies as a public sewer. Public sewers are owned and maintained by the sewage companies, either Yorkshire Water Authority or United Utilities depending on the area your property is located. If your house and sewer was built before 1937 then the respective sewage company is responsible for unblocking your sewer. The Environmental Protection Officer can assist in identifying if a sewer is private or public.

The Council’s Enforcement Procedures
When the Council’s Environmental Protection Department get involved with a blocked private sewer, they first attempt to identify where the blockage is. Once the blockage has been found they attempt to identify which properties are upstream of the blockage (i.e. who is running into the blocked sewer and so jointly responsible). Once the properties have been identified, Statutory Notices are served on the occupier giving all the occupiers upstream of the blockage, 48 hours in which to clear the blockage (this is the minimum time allowed under legislation). If after 48 hours the sewer is still blocked, then the Council uses a drainage contractor to clear the blockage. The reasonable expenses incurred by the Council will then be charged to the property occupiers.

Contact details
If you find that your system is affected and water is not draining away properly, there may either be a blockage on your private system or the public sewer may be blocked.

1. To report a blocked public sewer you need to know which water authority area you live in it will be either United Utilities Tel 0845 6020406 for area north of Hellifield or Yorkshire Water Authority Tel. 0845 1242429 for all other area’s.
2. If you are unsure you can contact the Environmental Protection Officer for advice, Tel 01756 706339.

If a problem occurs with a private drain or sewer to a private property, then you should contact

1. The Environmental Protection Officer at Craven District Council on 01756 706339 who will be able to give you advise on what to do next.
2. If you are a Craven Housing Association tenant then please contact the Housing Maintenance Team on 01756 704500.

Drains in the Highway

Road Gullies

A Road Gully is a small chamber covered by a metal grating, found in the gutter of a roadway. It is used to collect surface water from the road. The responsibility for road gullies belongs to North Yorkshire County Council, Telephone 01756 794816