Sewer connections

There are a few different types of sewers. Foul waste sewers carry waste from domestic appliances such as toilets, baths, showers and washing machines, to a sewage works for treatment. This water is contaminated, either through human contact and excrement, or through chemicals such as bleach, clothing detergent and cleaning products.

Generally, surface water sewers will carry rainwater from rooftops, driveways, roads and patios, back out to the local river, stream or soakaway. This water is considered ‘clean’ and therefore won’t cause pollution if it goes back into the environment. There are some instances where surface water will travel though some kind of interceptor before it is let back into the system – for example, a petrol station would ensure their rainwater travels through a petrol interceptor before it is released into the surface water main, or a large car park would ensure the surface water passes through an oil interceptor.

Finally, a combined sewer will carry both foul water and surface water (rainwater); this will need to be treated due to the foul water contaminating the surface water.

The ideal scenario is to have separate sewer connections for foul water and surface water. If there is both a surface water sewer and foul water sewer in the local vicinity, then two separate connections should be made.

However, if there is no other alternative option, then it may be possible for surface water to be accepted into a public sewer. The type of connection you will be required to make will depend on the age of the sewer, as Victorian sewers have different rules due to their age and the fact they may be replaced sooner. You are responsible for demonstrating, through supporting evidence, to your local water authority that there are definitely no other alternatives when applying for a combined connection.

You will need to show that you cannot use the most common option for surface water drainage, which is a soakaway. Evidence that may be accepted includes results from a percolation test, an extract from your ground investigation report, or an e-mail or letter from Building Control. You will need to be able to prove that ground conditions do not allow the use of a soakaway, or that there isn’t a local watercourse for the water to drain into.

As well as having two separate types of sewers (foul water and surface water), there are two different types of sewer connections.

The first is a direct connection, which is considered as any connection made to a public sewer.

The second is an indirect connection, which is any connection that goes to a private drain and then follows on from this to a public sewer. A private drain is considered to be an existing pipe that is only serving one property and exists within a property’s boundary.

A lateral sewer connection is a length of pipe that carries waste water away from your property, directly to a sewer. It is commonly found outside the boundary of your property, often under a public pavement or road. Sometimes a lateral sewer connection might run under your property if you share a sewer with your neighbour.

Connecting your property to a public sewer system can vary depending on a variety of factors such as distance, the size of the sewer connection needed, what systems are already in place, and the types of drainage needed. Contact us on 01268 950050 for a competitive quote that is bespoke to your requirements. We are sewer connection specialists working in London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, and beyond. We are approved contractors with Anglian Water, Thames Water and Southern Water.

When it comes to drainage and sewage connections, it’s important to ensure you are using specialists who know what they are doing. Only approved contractors are allowed to make connections to the main drains and public sewer networks. We also follow all the latest legislation, to ensure you meet all legal requirements and prevent you from incurring any issues with environmental pollution.

Here at Premier Drainage Solutions, we believe in early contractor involvement, to help save you the maximum amount of time and money on your sewer connection project. We offer free advice on the best sewer connection method, as well as advising on the best time to carry out the connection works.

We can help take care of all the compliance paperwork, including:

• Section 106 applications: Permission from the sewer provider to connect to the public sewer
• Section 50 applications. Highways permission to place new apparatus in the highway (when installing lateral pipes from the development boundary to public sewer in the highway).

We understand that installing a sewer connection comes with a lot of legal requirements and complexity. However, we are here to help you through this process, and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us