Who Is Responsible for Blocked Drains — You or the Council?

If the blocked drain sits fully inside your own land and serves only your home, it’s your job to fix. However, if it’s a shared sewer that serves several homes, it’s Anglian Water’s job. The mix-up usually comes from not knowing where your pipes end and the shared network starts. Here’s how to work it out.

Your responsibility

You, or your landlord if you rent, must fix:

• Internal pipework — sinks, toilets, baths, showers
• The drain running from your property to where it joins a shared sewer or the public network
• Gullies and gutters that only serve your building

Since the blockage is anywhere in this part, it’s a normal call-out. Book a blocked drain clearance and get it sorted.

The water company’s responsibility

Anglian Water is responsible for:

• Public sewers — the main network running under roads and public land
• Shared (lateral) drains — a pipe serving two or more properties before it connects to the public sewer, even if it runs under your own garden

This second group catches a lot of people out. Many old properties share one drain run with the house next door. If that shared bit blocks, it’s the water firm’s job to fix, not yours, although part of it may sit on your land.

How to check which applies to you

1. Look at where the blockage is. If it’s a sink, toilet, or an internal pipe, it’s yours — no need to check further.
2. For an external blockage, check whether the drain is shared with a neighbour. If you and next door both flush into the same pipe before it reaches the street, it’s likely a shared drain.
3. Ask Anglian Water directly if you’re unsure — they hold sewer maps and can confirm liability for a specific drain run, usually free of charge for a straightforward enquiry.

What this means in practice for a blockage right now

None of this matters much if water is backing up into your bathroom or garden right now. That’s a problem to fix today, not a question to research first. In practice, most people call a plumber, get the blockage cleared, and only then work out who pays. This applies whether it’s a garden gully after heavy rain in Wymondham or a shared run under an old terrace in Attleborough. Once we’ve found exactly where the blockage sits, we can usually tell you on the day if it looks like yours or part of a shared run. That at least points you the right way if you want to follow up with Anglian Water after.

What causes the confusion

The rules changed in 2011, under a DEFRA scheme. Many old “private” shared drains moved over to water firms. So if you’ve owned your home a long time and recall drains being your problem before, that may no longer hold true for a shared section.

For more on what causes blockages in the first place, see our guide on what causes blocked drains.

What to do right now

Don’t wait to work out who pays before you deal with standing water or sewage; that’s a health risk. Get the blockage cleared first. We can usually come the same day for blocked drains in Norwich or out towards Dereham. Then sort out who pays afterwards. If it turns out to be Anglian Water’s section, we’ll tell you and help you report it.

Get in touch if you’ve got a blocked drain and aren’t sure whose job it is. We’ll take a look and give you a straight answer either way.