Blocked drain in Sheffield: when Yorkshire Water should clear it

A blocked drain is unpleasant, and in a Sheffield terrace it can also be confusing. The pipe might run under three back yards, the manhole might be in your neighbour’s yard, and nobody is sure who should pay. The rules are clearer than they look, and knowing them can save you a bill.

The 2011 change

Before October 2011, a drain shared between houses was usually the joint responsibility of the owners. That caused years of arguments in terraced streets. On 1 October 2011, private sewers and lateral drains in England and Wales were transferred to the water companies.

In Sheffield, that company is Yorkshire Water. It is now responsible for:

• Public sewers in the street.
• Drains shared by two or more properties, even when they run under private gardens and yards.
• Lateral drains, which are the section of your drain that runs outside your boundary to the sewer.

You are still responsible for the drain that serves only your house and is within your boundary, plus all the pipes inside your home.

The neighbour test

Yorkshire Water’s sewer flooding page gives two simple checks.

Check your neighbours. If they are having the same problem, the blockage is probably in Yorkshire Water’s sewers or pipes, and it is their responsibility.

Check other rooms. If the problem only affects one room, for example the kitchen sink is fine but the bathroom sink is blocked, the blockage is almost certainly in the pipes on your property.

How this works in a Crookes terrace

Picture a typical row of Victorian terraces in Crookes. Each house has a back yard with a gully for the kitchen waste and a downpipe from the roof. The toilet waste runs down a soil stack on the back wall. Below the yards, all of those connect into one pipe that runs along the back of the row to a manhole near the end, then out to the sewer in the street.

In that setup:

• The short pipe from your sink to your gully, and from your gully to where it joins the shared run, is yours.
• The shared run behind the row, which serves several houses, is Yorkshire Water’s.
• The pipe from the end manhole to the street sewer is Yorkshire Water’s.

So if the house at the bottom of the row has water backing up in its yard, and the manhole at the end is full, it is very likely the shared section, and Yorkshire Water should clear it. Our Crookes area page explains the other quirks of houses on that ridge.

Lifting a manhole safely

It helps to look in the nearest manhole before calling anyone. If it is full of water, the blockage is further downstream. If it is empty while your gully is overflowing, the blockage is between your house and that manhole.

Only lift a cover if you can do it safely. Old cast iron covers are heavy and can trap fingers. Use a proper lifting key or a strong screwdriver under the edge, keep children and pets back, and never climb in. Put the cover back when you are done.

When it is your drain

If the blockage is in a pipe that only serves your home, it is your job to clear it. Common causes in Sheffield homes:

• Wipes, cotton buds and too much paper, especially in student houses.
• Fat and food from the kitchen, which sets hard in a cold pipe.
• Leaves and silt in yard gullies, especially in autumn.
• Roots getting into old clay pipes through cracked joints.
• A pipe that has sunk out of line on a slope.

A plunger often clears a sink or toilet. Rods clear most gully and drain blockages. If it keeps coming back, a camera survey shows the cause. Our blocked drains page explains what a visit involves, and our post on a blocked drain outside covers clearing a yard gully.

Reporting a blockage to Yorkshire Water

When you report it, tell them:

• Your address and whether you are in a terrace or semi.
• Which neighbours are affected.
• Whether the nearest manhole is full.
• Whether any sewage has come into a house.

If sewage has come into your home from the sewer, that is sewer flooding, and you should report it to Yorkshire Water straight away. Keep children and pets away, avoid running water down any drains, and wash your hands well after any contact.

Avoiding a bill you should not pay

Some drain companies will happily clear a shared drain and send you the bill. Before paying for anything, ask:

1. Does this drain serve more than one property?
2. Is the blockage inside my boundary, on a pipe that only serves me?
3. Have my neighbours got the same problem?

If the answers point to a shared drain or sewer, call Yorkshire Water first. If they confirm it is your drain, then book a plumber or drain engineer.

Stopping blockages in shared runs

A shared drain blocks more often when one house treats it badly. A friendly word with neighbours about wipes and fat helps everyone. In student streets, a note in each house about what not to flush does more than any drain clean.

If you are not sure whose drain it is, send us a photo of the manhole and tell us who else is affected. We will tell you whether to call Yorkshire Water or book us.