Manhole over-flow

[Tim H]

Hi all, 

I'm hoping someone can provide some guidance. 

We have a drain pipe running diagonally through our garden (public pipe that showed on the searches when we purchased the property). There is a manhole cover in the centre of our lawn. The problem we have noticed is, when there is VERY heavy rain (once or twice a year) the drain pipe can't handle it. The water backs up and starts coming out of the manhole cover. It doesn't look or smell like raw sewage, but there are old bits of tissue, and clumps of stuff littering our lawn afterwards. We've got young kids who love playing in the garden so this ruins it for them. 

Is it our responsibility to rectify as the manhole cover is on our land or is it the water company's responsibility as the drain can't handle the volume of water? Can we run a pipe from just below the manhole cover to a soakaway at the bottom of the garden (the garden slopes down, away from the house)? Do we just have to live with it? Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated. 

Thank you. 

[Conor]

It's 100% the water companies responsibility. Phone them. Hope you've got photos. 

 

It could just be a partial blockage downstream, which will be sorted by jetting the main. That's the min the company should do along with a CCTV survey.

Edited June 20, 2023 by Conor

[Discoeye]

+1 its the water company's responsibility . It was at one time the home owners responsibility but should be back with the water company.

I had a similar problem when sewage was backing up to the drain on my property it transpired our drains were on a run of 5 semi's and three were rentals so when the property's were Vacant there wasn't enough water being flushed, baths, showers etc.. coming into the run of pipe and so mine would stay within my boundary.