What do I do if I have a blocked drain or sewer?

For blockages on a public sewer, please contact us on 0344 346 2020 so that we can confirm responsibility.

We’re responsible for maintaining public sewers and we’ll attend within 4 hours to unblock the sewer, free of charge.

If you are the homeowner, you are responsible for unblocking private sewers and drains. We’d recommend you contact a private contractor and you can find a list of approved contractors on the WaterSafe website by selecting your postcode and then 'Sanitation' within the services section .  If you have an insurance policy that covers this, please check your policy documents first.

We’re responsible for clearing any blockages from the pipes highlighted in brown below. The pipes marked in blue are the responsibility of the homeowner.

You may find that a sewer pipe that you share with your neighbours runs through your land. In this case it would be classed as a public sewer/lateral drain and would be our responsibility.

For tenants, you may want to contact the Landlord to assist.

If the blockage is appearing from the upstairs of your property only, it’s unlikely to be from a public sewer.

The table below shows who is responsible for flooding and blockages:

To help prevent sewers blocking have a look at our top tips.

How can I dispose of fat, oil or grease?

Please follow these easy steps to keep fat, oil and grease out of your pipes by using your Gunk Pot or equivalent container:

Scrape Scrape food scraps and fat off your plates into your bin or food waste recycling.	Collect Use your Gunk Pot or similar container to collect cooled fats, oils and grease from roasting trays and frying pans.	Wipe Give plates and pans a quick wipe with kitchen roll or newspaper to remove any liquid fat or grease before putting in the sink or dishwasher.	Empty/recycle Empty your full Gunk Pot into your kitchen bin, then wipe it out with kitchen roll ready to reuse. Alternatively, dispose of an equivalent container directly into the bin.

However, check the advice from your local council if food recycling is available in your area.

You can buy fat traps along with a range of water saving products from Less Mess

There’s more information here on fat, oil and grease.

What do I do if I have been flooded by sewage?

Step 1: Call us on 0344 346 2020 – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Step 2: Call your insurance company if your home is flooded internally

Step 3: We’ll help you clean up and aim to start work within 4 hours

Step 4: We’ll investigate and provide you with a contact to talk to

Step 5: We’ll talk to you about the progression of our investigation and cause of the flooding

Step 6: If we know you’ve been affected by sewage flooding, we’ll send you payment as set out in our Customer promise.

Health precautions to take

• Avoid contact with sewage and wear protective clothing taking extra care to cover any cuts.
• Wash your hands after exposure and wash footwear with a mild disinfectant.
• Keep children and pets away from contaminated area.
• Dispose of any food crops growing in the area (wait at least 6 months to replant crops)
• Call your GP immediately if you swallow any contaminated material or suffer with vomiting or diarrhoea following the flooding.

Other things to consider

• If your gas meter or appliance has been submerged, contact the British Gas emergency number before switching on or lighting any appliance.
• If your electricity meter, fuse box, socket or appliance has been submerged, contact your electricity supplier for advice before using any electrical equipment.
• Make sure you’re property is well ventilated leaving windows open as much as possible. Airbricks under floor spaces should be unblocked to help air flow.

Do I need insurance cover for drainage emergencies?

We are responsible for the public sewers including manholes and covers, so any blockages or flooding problems from the public sewer would be dealt with by us. There's more information on our sewer flooding page about responsibilities, what causes sewer flooding and how we can help.

If you’re a homeowner, you’re responsible for pipework inside your home and for private drains on your land, therefore you may want to consider taking out an insurance policy to cover you for emergencies like a burst pipe or blocked drain.

You should first check if your existing home insurance or other policies provide the cover that suits your needs.

We work with HomeServe, one of the UK’s leading home assistance providers. HomeServe offers a range of home emergency solutions for homeowners including Plumbing and Drainage Cover. You can find out more information here which will help you decide if cover through HomeServe is right for you.

What causes sewer flooding?

Sewer flooding can be caused by:

• Blocked pipes
• Extreme weather causing prolonged rainfall
• Insufficient land drainage
• Surcharges from private sewers or drains

You can find out more information here about the causes of sewer flooding.  Or if you are affected by sewer flooding please see our information on What do I do if I have been flooded by sewage?