In most cases
- You are responsible for a private drain serving only your property.
- Yorkshire Water is responsible for public sewers and many shared drains.
- Leeds City Council is responsible for highway gullies on publicly maintained roads.
When is it your responsibility?
You will usually need to arrange the work when the blockage is in a private drain that serves only your home or premises.
This may include:
- Pipes from your sinks, toilets, baths or showers
- A private outside drain or gully
- A drain running through your garden before it joins a shared system
- An inspection chamber serving only your property
A blockage may be private if only one fixture or one property is affected.
When is Yorkshire Water responsible?
Yorkshire Water generally deals with:
- Public sewers
- Shared drains serving more than one property
- Lateral drains outside an individual property boundary
- Sewer flooding from the public network
The problem may be on Yorkshire Water's network if several neighbouring properties are affected or wastewater is backing up from a shared manhole.
When is Leeds City Council responsible?
Leeds City Council is usually responsible for blocked highway gullies on publicly maintained roads.
These are the grated drains beside roads and kerbs that collect rainwater.
The council is not normally responsible for household drains, private gullies or public sewers.
How can you tell where the blockage is?
Check:
- Whether one or several fixtures are affected
- Whether neighbouring properties have the same problem
- Whether an outside chamber is full
- Whether the blockage appears before or after your property boundary
Do not enter a manhole or handle sewage directly.
When the pipe route is unclear, a CCTV drain survey can help locate the blockage and show whether the affected section appears private, shared or public.
What should you do?
- Stop using affected toilets, sinks and appliances if wastewater is rising.
- Keep children and pets away from sewage.
- Ask neighbours whether they are affected.
- Contact the appropriate organisation:
- A drainage engineer for a likely private blockage
- Yorkshire Water for a suspected shared drain or public sewer
- Leeds City Council for a blocked highway gully
- Your landlord or managing agent if you rent
Frequently asked questions
Am I responsible for every drain inside my boundary?
No. A shared drain may still be Yorkshire Water's responsibility even if it runs through private land.
Who is responsible if several houses are blocked?
A problem affecting several properties may be in a shared drain or public sewer. Contact Yorkshire Water.
Who deals with a blocked drain in a rented property?
Report it to your landlord or managing agent first.
Can a drainage engineer confirm responsibility?
An engineer can locate the blockage and explain where it appears to be, but the final decision may rest with Yorkshire Water, the council or the property owner.
Still unsure?
Leeds Drains can investigate the pipe route, locate the blockage and explain whether the issue appears to be private, shared or public.
Call 0113 418 0124 or request drainage help online