Quick answer
You look after the drain inside your boundary that serves only your home. Yorkshire Water looks after public sewers and drains outside your boundary that flow into one. It also looks after a shared drain that flows into a public sewer, if your home was built before 2011. City of York Council looks after gullies, manhole covers and ditches.
Drain, shared drain or sewer?
The name of the pipe decides who clears it, because each owner has its own pipes. Learn the terms first, and the rest of this guide gets easier.
- Drain: a pipe that serves one property, inside its boundary
- Lateral drain: the part of a home's drain that runs beyond its boundary to the sewer
- Shared drain: a pipe that carries waste from two or more homes
- Public sewer: the main pipe, often under the road, that the water company owns
East Riding Council describes a sewer as "pipework that drains more than one property". That is a handy test, since it works while you stand in the garden.
Who looks after what
Yorkshire Water's "whose pipe is it" page gives the split. You look after the drain from your home into the ground, until it reaches a shared drain or a public sewer. The list below shows the rest, although the build date matters for shared drains:
- You: drains that serve only your home, inside your boundary
- Yorkshire Water: public sewers, drains outside your boundary that flow into one, and shared drains that flow into a public sewer for homes built before 2011
- City of York Council: gullies, manhole covers and ditches
The council says it cannot help with shared sewers or sewerage pipes outside property boundaries. It also says drains within a boundary are the owner's job. The rule is similar near Pocklington, because East Riding Council says Yorkshire Water is responsible for most sewers there.
What the 2011 transfer changed
Before 2011, private owners looked after many sewers and lateral drains. However, Defra's transfer guidance says that on 1 October 2011, those that joined a public sewer on 1 July 2011 became the sewerage company's job. In York, that company is Yorkshire Water.
Drains that serve only one property, inside its boundary, did not transfer. Yorkshire Water words the rule as "built before 2011", while Defra's wording is the precise one. As a result, a home built a few years either side of that date needs a closer look.
Landlords and tenants
In a rented home, check your tenancy agreement first, because it is the best guide to who arranges what. A landlord usually looks after the structure of a home and its external drains. A tenant usually looks after blockages from their own use, such as wipes. Yorkshire Water says nearly 50% of blockages in Yorkshire are caused by wipes, so the cause matters.
Disputes happen, so keep records. Take photos, note dates and send repair requests in writing. Keep copies of every reply. While you do, our guide to the signs of a blocked drain helps you describe the problem clearly.
How to work out whose blockage it is
Start with where the water backs up. Then ask your neighbours, since Yorkshire Water says that when nearby homes share a problem, the blockage is probably in its sewers.
- Check whether one fitting or several are affected.
- Look at the manhole covers outside for rising water.
- Ask neighbours if they have the same trouble.
- Report it to Yorkshire Water if it looks like a sewer.
- Book a CCTV survey if the answer is still unclear.
A CCTV drain survey shows where the blockage sits, although it will not replace asking the water company. For tips on reading covers and chambers, see the guide to blocked manholes in Tadcaster.
When the pipe is yours
If the blocked pipe is yours, you arrange and pay for the clearing. Many owners start with blocked drains help or drain unblocking, while the external drain unblocking page covers pipes outside the house. Pick the one that matches your blockage.
Local pages cover blocked drains in York, drain unblocking in Selby and blocked drains in Pocklington. The request form on the contact page is open 24/7, so you can send it at any hour. Mark it urgent if sewage is coming up, since sewage should not wait.
Ask the engineer for a written quote before work starts, and ask what the quote covers. Since each town has its own page, you can find your own area on the locations page.
If the blockage is urgent, the emergency plumber page for Malton explains how to ask for help there.
Frequently asked questions
Who is responsible for a blocked drain outside my house?
It depends on the pipe. A drain that serves only your home is yours, even outside the back door. However, a public sewer, or a shared drain that flows into one for a home built before 2011, is Yorkshire Water's.
Is a blocked shared drain my responsibility?
Not always, because the build date matters. Yorkshire Water says it looks after shared drains that flow into a public sewer if your home was built before 2011. For later homes, the owners look after it unless Yorkshire Water adopts it.
What is the difference between a drain and a sewer?
A drain serves one property, while a sewer drains more than one, according to East Riding Council. Check which one you have. A lateral drain sits between the two, running beyond the boundary to the sewer.
What if sewage is coming up in my garden?
First check whether it comes from a sewer, because the owner differs. Yorkshire Water says never to attempt to unblock a sewer yourself, so report it to them. If the pipe is yours, mark your request urgent.
