Residents will have recently noticed a problem with drainage in Adams Hill, off Nottingham Road in north Keyworth. Raw sewage has been leaking up through the pavement and into the gutter. This area has been cordoned off to prevent pedestrians from walking in the muck.
Following investigations by the Environmental Health department at the Borough Council, the problem has been traced to a collapsed drain, which will need to be repaired and partly rebuilt. Unfortunately this drain is not part of the public sewer system, even though it runs underneath the public highway - it is a private drain, the ownership and maintenance of which are shared by the residents on the west side of Adams Hill (there is another private drain, a short distance away, which is shared by the residents of the east side of Adams Hill).
The Council is preparing to organise the repairs and will instruct sub-contractors to do the work in the next few days. The cost will be shared by the residents.
This incident again shows the confused situation with regard to the ownership and maintenance of drains. Some roads (or parts of roads) are provided with public sewers, which are the responsibility of Severn-Trent. Some roads (or parts of roads) are provided with private drains, which are the responsibility of residents, even though these drains eventually lead into public sewers. The drains serving houses built before 1937 are always the responsibility of Severn-Trent, even though the drains may be private.
The Government is planning legislation which will remove these anomalies and place all sewers under the control of the water & sewerage companies. However, I understand that this legislation has been delayed until 2014 at the earliest, because of the sheer scale of the handover and of the financial arrangements that will have to be made.
If you have or see a problem with drains or sewers, phone Severn-Trent on 0800 783 4444. They will quickly tell you whether the drain is one of theirs. If you want further advice, mail me or phone the Borough Council on 0115 981 9911.
