Transfer Of Private Sewers Intended To Free Customers Of Repair Bills

4 July 2011

Changes being introduced today by Environment Minister Richard Benyon will see the ownership of private sewers that run under peoples' property, garden or road and connect to the public sewers in a move that is claimed will remove the "burden from householders" to foot the bill of repairs

The move means that water companies will take over the responsibility of repairing collapsed and blocked sewers from 1 October 2011.

The costs to private sewer owners of these repairs are estimated at £221m each year and the transfer is aimed at giving customers peace of mind from the nasty surprise of being charged for repairs to pipes, which most do not know they are responsible for.

Environment Minister Richard Benyon said: "The transfer will stop the financial threat of customers being hit with huge repair bills for sewers that sometimes aren't even on their property. It's a much fairer and simpler approach which will also improve the overall quality of the network to reduce the chance of problems in the first place."

It is estimated that the cost to sewerage bill payers would be between six to 27 pence a week. The final costs will reflect the situation on the ground and will vary between water companies. The timing of any increases in bills will be driven by when water companies incur any costs and apply to Ofwat (The Water Services Regulation Authority) to increase prices.

Water companies will be contacting all bill payers in their areas over the coming weeks to explain the proposals. Customers should check their company's website for more information.

Pamela Taylor, Water UK's Chief Executive, said: "The transfer promises to bring peace of mind to customers across England and Wales. For the water companies, the transfer is a major change, as they will be taking on responsibility for many thousands of miles of pipes, some of which may be in poor condition. There could well be a backlog of maintenance, repair and renewal for companies to tackle."

Tony Smith, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council for Water, said: "Once the exact cost of the transfer is known, we will work closely with the water regulator, Ofwat, and the water and sewerage companies to ensure costs are spread over an appropriate period of time and challenge costs to minimise the impact on water bills."

For more information visit www.ofwat.gov.uk

Darrel Moore