When I bought my house it was advertised as having a septic tank/private sewerage in the garden. The previous owners (an elderly couple) said they'd never had to have it emptied, which seemed a bit odd. When I moved in I took over their water account and only pay for water and not sewerage. (Houses around are all on the mains but mine was built in someone's garden.)
During the buying process there was a (separate) query about right of way over part of the drive. My conveyancer was hopeless and in the end I traced the builder and rang him. During the conversation he said that when they were putting in the septic tank they'd come across the main sewer in the garden and connected it up! So the waste goes into the tank but then the liquid gets siphoned off and treated. I don't know if the previous owners knew about this. Anyway, a couple of years ago there was bubbling in the garden and I got a firm in to pump out the tank (full of baby wipes!). They confirmed that it is connected to the mains. What do I do? If I confess to the water company, how far back will they charge me? If I want to sell, I don't want to have to lie. I don't feel I can aske the water company! TIA