Blocked sewer drain, can't believe the timescale

[MiMiChuna]

I have a shared drain along the rear of my house, with a drain cover in my garden. I am the last before it joins the main sewers I think, 3 other houses worth of drain juice before us.

After a gurgling downstairs toilet back end of last wk, but everything still seemingly moving, I decided to chk the drain yest eve. HORROR the thing was full of brown pungent water. Only 3 brick layers left clear from the top.

Booked dyno for today, but after googling the situation discovered as it's a shared drain the waterboard are responsible for (UU here). Phew.

Or not....

...as it turns out their timescales mean the first scheduled appt they can offer to look at it is 1 wk tomorrow! WTF!

Alternatively I can go on an open waiting system which means I will be visited at the latest by close of business 1 wk today, but possibly sooner, but with a phonecall before anything between a tiny 5-20 mins notice, but if I miss them I'd go back into the queue again. I have to be in when they visit even though I've sent a photo & they could access my garden via an open path around it (though no gate so would need to jump the wall, which plenty of workmen have done).

I can't believe anyone is expected to wait for a service like this, in this way, for so long.

Worse for me, as a lone parent I have no one to tag team with for nipping out, one child is in recovery from an operation last wk, one child has toileting issues which needs regular flushing, one child has an outdoorsy residential the day they return to school we need to shop for this wk, it's half term & we'd planned to visit my only parent who has late stage dementia & doesn't live near us this wk, plus I have post-op dressing appts to take my child to.

So what would you do?

Wait a wk for the appointment whilst hoping the crap doesn't pour over the drain lid into your garden & potentially into your house?

Or hope for a sooner appointment but be prisoner in your own home for upto 1 week, sacrificing half term & all basic plans (dressings, parent visit, essential gear shopping for residential)?

Or hope for a sooner appointment whilst taking the risk of going out for childs dressings, parent visit & residential trip shopping that doing so may miss the waterboard visit & delay them sorting their pipe even longer?

I can't believe they expect ppl to live like this, with a health hazardous situation. It's like the drain has to spill over & soil things to be seen. In fact the advice I was given was carry on as usual with water usage, so almost encouraging it to flood!

Anyone with experience, especially with UU, how long did it take them to come out for you?

That's (all too literally) a bit shit. When we called Thames Water, admittedly a few years ago now, their contractor Lanes came out within a couple of hours.

The most impressive was when I called National Grid about a power outage last year, though. Someone was at the house in 25 minutes, and the fault with their equipment, upstream of the consumer unit, was repaired in another 20.

That sounds horrendous, my sympathies.

Can you call the water company and ask to speak to the vulnerable customers team? Recovery from an operation and toileting issues may qualify you for special consideration. Or, ask the neighbours who will also be benefiting if there is some way you can come up with a rota to let let the water company have access?

Failing that I'd be phoning a reputable drain clearance company and seeing whether they can do it and what they'd charge. We have one locally that comes out within hours and is quite reasonable. You could let the neighbours know that if they can't help with availability then this will be the only realistic option, and as it's a job you're doing for everyone, you'd like them to share the cost.

That sounds like a long wait, wessex water came and unblocked our shared drain within 3 hours, twice over last few years. But our toilet was making noises for over a week before we realised what it was, you might be ok to wait. Its probsley draining through but slowly.

Honestly, I feel like crying.

Probably a lot of stuff going on at the moment because of all the rainfall.

Sewers round my way are backed up in a few places and water is running down the streets. They will focus their efforts on where they see the problem as worst or they can benefit the most people.

In your position I would probably see whether it is possible to get some sandbags just in case to cover the doors and check out other areas where the water could come in and try to block them.

That's awful. Have you spoken to the neighbours? Does anyone have any drain rods? I'd try and unblock it myself first. Blockages are often easily unblocked.

Have you opened the next inspection hole further towards the main drain?

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ee87bf786650c03f8514ecb/Sandbags-and-how-to-use-them-properly-for-flood-protection.pdf

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Just adding that if any of the other houses has elderly people they may automatically qualify for inclusion in the priority services register.

I'd have to leave the house to get sandbags.

I'm hoping we'll get a better scenario when the UU man calls back later today. He said he'd flag my case as special circumstances but had no confidence it'd make a difference. I'll ask about vulnerable customer support when he calls though, it might be a different dept who could help more.

@ImRen not sure where the next drain cover is

You can order off amazon and add instructions to the driver to deliver to your place of picking up.

Alternatively you could try the parish council. Ours has a team of volunteers that go and help when there is flooding. If you ask for help they might be able to deliver some bags to you or maybe even fill them.

When it gets to nearer the top you are likely to become an emergency and get someone quicker.

Metro Rod, Dyno Rod etc can't really do anything even if you pay, because it isn't your asset to commission work on. You may get a local firm who will but they shouldn't really. If it is the bit on your land that serves your property only you can commission your own company like the aforementioned and pay.

Ask around your neighbours, someone might have some rods you can try with. But be careful, if any bits come off and get stuck in a public drain the owners may get sniffy about it.

Hmmm, just spotted that the cover is in your garden. You could get someone out (and pay) and they can see if the blockage is on your property, if so they can clear it and away you go. If not then they call it in as well which may bump you up the list.

It may not be completely blocked, just running slow due to a partial blockage.

The last manhole in the shared sewer drain is on my driveway. It was blocked and overflowing last summer and although the water company did come out straight away (Southern/South East) they told me that if it happens again, as it’s on my land, I will be charged for them coming out to unblock it. It was blocked as it was full of wipes of some kind. I don’t, and never have, even used wipes let alone flushed them (only the three things that are supposed to go down toilets in this house!). So it’s one (or more) of the other houses on this sewer doing it. When I said that to the guys who came out, the answer was basically a slightly more polite ‘’tough’. I can’t prove it wasn’t me and as I’m the last house before the main sewer and the access is in my land, apparently it’s my problem.

DO NOT use dyno rod or any private company. If it is a shared drain your water company will sort it. It is their responsibility. Phone them and they will come out asap.

I know as I because am in the same situation.

I wonder if its worth contacting your local Environmental Health? They may be able to speed things up. Obviously it would be better for the water company to to clear the drain rather than deal with cleaning up a sewage spill.

I would urgently order some drain rods, and knock on your neighbour's door a couple of doors down and ask if you can rod the drain to try to get rid of the blockage.

I used to live in a house like yours - I was the last house before the shared drain met the mains sewer. I had sewage spill out over my garden, and it was not pleasant.

Definitely talk to your neighbours and make sure they're not throwing anything like wipes - "flushable" or otherwise, tampons, sanitary towels etc that could make it worse.

Call your water company, they might be able to come out sooner. If not, there are other companies out there other than Dyno-rod. I can sympathise - good luck!

I feel really sorry for you but unfortunately this seems to be the standard of service provided by 90% of organisations nowadays.
Im still waiting for OVO to sort out my meter and I notified them of a problem in March last year. They are ignoring me and the energy ombudsman who told them to sort it in November.
Do you know anyone with any rods who can come and poke it around a bit? Might not solve the problem but make the level drop a bit. We had a similar problem 20 years ago so DH now does this on a monthly basis and touch wood no more problems.

We had the same issue, we had some sort of cover for blocked drains, they came out four times, useless.

Thames water sorted it within 20 mins, a huge glug and everything was gone. They went into the shared manhole with a camera and sorted it.

Good luck.

There is hope. UU man called back, they're aiming to get to us today before 10pm. Not a guarantee but the best I could've hoped for & 1 day is infinitely better than 1 wk.

Genuinely thank you for all the comments helping me not have a meltdown.

If the blockage isn't in the shared part I have BG homecare which I think should cover a potential blockage on my private drains & they will come out within a day so hopeful we will be flowing & free again by tm eve at the latest. Rearranged child's post-op appt to tm.

@MandyMotherOfBrian that sounds dodgy, surely they'd still have an ongoing duty of care unless they can prove it is you putting wipes down, rather than you having to prove it isn't because that's impossible!

Can your neighbours help? Yes, seems you're first in line for an overflow, but it will back up and affect them too. In the meantime, try to limit what goes down the drain where you can.

that sounds dodgy, surely they'd still have an ongoing duty of care unless they can prove it is you putting wipes down, rather than you having to prove it isn't because that's impossible!

They will still clear it - I’ll just be liable for the cost. They don’t have to prove anything, because it’s on my property the rules are I’m liable. Dreading it happening again. The only upside is it’s so close to the border, and on a lower level than the rest of my property, that it would run down the lane and not in to my house and garden. Anyway - good news hope you get sorted out!

That's bullshit, if it's a drain that serves more than one property then it's the responsibility of the water company, not the person who's land it's on! The regulations were changed years ago to stop such things happening. It's only the property / land owner's responsibility if it only serves your house.
Responsibility for pipes and sewers - Ofwat

I love a happy ending when I'm reading a post so here's mine: UU just left after an hour sorting 2 blockages no less. We have free flow again. I'm so relieved there are no words.
I'm now in the queue for a bath / hairwash, and I don't even mind being last!

Oh don't. I'm having a similar issue, except I'm in a flat. I'm the last/bottom of the sewer, which services 8 flats. Have had Scottish Water out twice in the last year, because of wipes and nappies(!!) being flushed. Because it backs up in my only loo first, I'm the one who has had to call. I'm trying to prove I don't have nappies in the house!

That's great news!! Glad you got it sorted. Enjoy your bath!