Emergency Drain Services explained
Most blocked drains can wait for a normal visit, while a few cannot. Sewage inside the house, flooding that spreads or no working toilet all call for quick action.
The request form stays open 24/7, and you can mark your request urgent. The form does not promise a time of arrival, since that depends on the engineer who takes the job. Meanwhile, the steps below keep you and your home safer.
What counts as a drain emergency
Judge by the risk, not by the clock. Sewage is a health risk, and flooding damages property as water spreads. A slow sink is annoying, yet it is rarely an emergency.
| Situation | Treat as urgent? | First step |
|---|---|---|
| Sewage backing up inside the house | Yes | Stop using water and keep people and pets away |
| Water flooding in from a drain | Yes | Move valuables up, and switch off power only if it is safe |
| Manhole overflowing outside | Yes | Keep clear, and do not lift the cover |
| No working toilet in the house | Often | Send an urgent request and say so on the form |
| One slow sink | Usually not | Try the simple fixes on the blocked drains page |
Safe first steps with sewage
Yorkshire Water gives clear advice for sewer flooding. Do not walk through sewage, and keep children and pets away. Wash your hands and disinfect your footwear afterwards, since sewage carries germs.
It says manhole covers may have moved, so take care near them. It also says not to eat fruit or vegetables grown in the garden after a sewage leak. It also says not to plant anything new for at least six months.
Never try to unblock a sewer yourself, says Yorkshire Water. It also says sewage leaks almost always come from blockages. If neighbours have similar problems, the block is probably in its sewers, since the sewers serve many homes.
Is the pipe yours or the water company's?
Yorkshire Water looks after public sewers. That includes drains outside your boundary that flow into one. If sewage comes up at a manhole in the street, report it to the water company, since the sewer is its pipe.
The drain inside your boundary is yours. City of York Council looks after gullies and manhole covers, while its Neighbourhood Enforcement Team looks into sewage on a public footpath. The emergency guide for York covers the first steps in more detail.
Costs for urgent drain work
Out-of-hours work can cost more, since night rates apply. PlumberMarket's plumber guide says emergency call-out fees are typically 1.5 to 3 times the standard rate. That is a typical UK range for plumbing work, not a York quote.
Ask the engineer for the price before work starts. A quote in writing, even by email, avoids surprises, because you can check it later.
Two common emergencies
The flooding emergency guide covers drain flooding. The sewage emergency guide covers sewage backups and the safe first steps. Both guides also explain who owns the pipe, since that decides who must fix it.
For a block that is not urgent, read about blocked drains instead, since a normal visit may do. Water that comes from a burst or leaking water pipe is a different job. Read the emergency plumber guide for burst pipes, leaks and the stopcock.
Emergency Drain Services guides
Flooding Emergency
Flooding from a drain can spread across a floor, so safe first steps matter. Move belongings up and keep clear. This page explains what to do while you wait.Sewage Emergency
Sewage coming up inside the house is a health risk. Safe first steps matter. This page explains them, who owns the pipe and when to mark a request urgent.Local pages for this service
Local pages cover urgent drain problems for each town. Start with emergency drain help in York, which is the main page. If you are further out, see urgent drain problems in Pocklington or emergency drain advice for Haxby. Each of those pages links back here.
Ask for help
Use the request form at the top of the page. Say what the problem is, where it sits and whether it is urgent, so the engineer can plan. Then ask for a written quote before work starts.
Go to the request formEmergency Drain Services questions answered
Is a blocked drain an emergency?
It can be, because a block can put health or property at risk. Sewage inside the house, flooding or no working toilet are urgent. A single slow sink usually is not.
Why does my drain smell like sewage?
A dry trap, a block or a damaged pipe can all cause the smell. Run water into rarely used fixtures to refill the traps, since a dry trap lets smells up. If the smell stays, or sewage appears, send an urgent request.
How do I report a blocked sewer to Yorkshire Water?
Use the contact details on the Yorkshire Water website or on your water bill, since they can change. Public sewers are its pipes, so it handles blocks in them. Send a request here for work on the drain inside your boundary.
Is sewer flooding the same as a blocked drain?
Not always. Sewer flooding comes from the public sewer network, while a blocked drain may sit on a pipe you own. Yorkshire Water says sewage leaks are almost always caused by blockages.
Who deals with sewage on a public footpath?
In the City of York area, the council says its Neighbourhood Enforcement Team looks into sewage on a public footpath, while Yorkshire Water looks after public sewers. Report the problem to both if you are not sure whose pipe it is.