Recent Flooding

[Centrepin]

17 hours ago, Walker570 said:

blocked with sediment ......  we used to see a crew with a tanker through our village two or three times a year sucking out all the drans. Have not seen one for years. 

In my area these where privatised and only come out on pre paid, advance booking or emergency call out. Last time I heard the final company in this area went bust. Can't charge enough to cover two workers, x number of metered water required, vehicle cost and waste disposal. 

Myself and my neighbour used drain rods  to pull out, push though silt and other things, plus gallons and gallons of non metered water to clear ours. Probably needs doing every 10 years or so.

[team tractor]

[oowee]

On 15/11/2019 at 16:08, Walker570 said:

oowee, the regulations on drainage state that you have to accept run off from neighbours above you.  I have ditches running down both sides of my ground and they run with water drained from five different land owners and also the public highway. I just make sure my ditches are kept clean and free running.    I had a slight misunderstanding with a land owner below me who suggested I was responsible for the water lying in her field.  I pointed out friendly like, that as she was a Chartered Surveyor, when she purchased the said property she should have noted that the previous owner/builder of the property had dug up and blocked all the drains when he put in the driveway. I kindly explained how she could get around this problem and now we are good neighbours.

If water isn't allowed to drain from roads, what are they to do?  Pump it away? 

Yes. As they do under bridges. Or pay compensation to install drains which they may be able to enforce installation. The Highway Authority can erect barriers to prevent water run off onto the highway. They must have prescriptive rights of drainage to plug into a ditch in order to drain a highway.. 

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66

 

100Drainage of highways.

(1)The highway authority for a highway may, for the purpose of draining it or of otherwise preventing surface water from flowing on to it, do all or any of the following:—

(a)construct or lay, in the highway or in land adjoining or lying near to the highway, such drains as they consider necessary;

(b)erect barriers in the highway or in such land as aforesaid to divert surface water into or through any existing drain;

(c)scour, cleanse and keep open all drains situated in the highway or in such land as aforesaid.

(2)Where under subsection (1) above a drain is constructed or laid, or barriers are erected, for the purpose of draining surface water from a highway or, as the case may be, diverting it into an existing drain, the water may be discharged into or through that drain and into any inland waters, whether natural or artificial, or any tidal waters.

(3)A highway authority shall pay compensation to the owner or occupier of any land who suffers damage by reason of the exercise by the authority of any power under subsection (1) or (2) above.

 

Land Drainage Responsibilities

Land Drainage is a complex area of responsibility, but in short a landowner is responsible for the drainage of their land. By law a person owning lower-level land has to accept natural land drainage water (that is, spring water, ground water or surface water run-off) from adjacent land at a higher level. This doesn't apply where the owner of the adjacent land has carried out "improvements" such that the run-off from the land isn't "natural" - for example if the entire back garden has been paved over. 'Natural' runoff does not include water from gutter down-pipes.

Edited November 16, 2019 by oowee