Mains Sewer Connections

For sewer connections, we cover the South of England and London. We work closely with Southern Water and Thames Water.

The cost of a sewer connection can vary widely depending on different factors, so it’s hard to give a fixed price. You can expect to pay above £5,000. Please get in touch with us so we can give you a free quote and arrange a site visit.

A sewer connection in the Highway can take a few days, a week and sometimes longer depending on how far the public sewer is to the site.

The paperwork involved usually takes the longest. First, you will need to apply for a Section 106 permit – which we can do for you. If the public sewer is in the highway, which is often the case, we will need to apply to your local Highways Department at the County Council for a Section 50. Generally, we will need to apply for this on your behalf. The process cannot start until we have the Section 106 permit from the local water authority. Highways need to know that the water authority approves of the proposed connection being made.

It usually takes a few weeks to a couple of months to get the Section 50 permit. Once we have the permit, we need to give notice to Highways that we want to use it, For small jobs, the notice period is 1 week. If the job is due to last a week, the notice we need to give is usually 3 weeks and 3 months or more for any major projects.

Most sewer connections require a road closure and the minimum legal noticed period for that is 3 months. Unfortunately, just because we give notice to Highways that we want to use our permit, it doesn’t mean they will grant permission.  They might revoke permission if there are already other roadworks due to take place within a certain radius of the site and in some cases other contractors might have booked ‘road space’ in the surrounding areas for the next few months meaning your application will go to the back of the queue. We also can’t work in some areas during school term time, and we might have to wait for a school holiday. That could mean waiting a while, especially if other contractors have already booked the space.

So in summary:

• It usually takes 3-6 weeks to get a Section 106 permit
• Then 3-10 weeks to get a Section 50 permit
• Then 1-12 weeks for the notice period
• The job itself usually takes 3-10 days

That’s a total of anywhere from 8 to 30 weeks. If you need a sewer connection, please get in touch with us as soon as possible. Many people build a house and then ask us to start the sewer connection process. But ideally, this process should start when the build starts.

A pumping station can either have one or two pumps, depending upon its application. They can be used for either pumping surface water or sewage. Single pump systems are generally for domestic dwellings and twin pump systems are generally for commercial applications like a nursing home, a hotel or a business. The pumps move the liquid and effluent from the dwelling to the mains sewer. It’s important that the systems are serviced on a regular basis depending upon the manufacturer’s instructions.

Maintenance: Have the system serviced as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Don’t put the following down the sinks/drains: Grease, fat, oil, wipes, cotton buds, tooth picks, sanitary items etc. Don’t use your toilet as a rubbish bin!

Public sewers, also known as adopted sewers, can have varying depths. Generally, they range from around 0.4 to 3 meters deep, but can sometimes go deeper to 6m deep, or more. Their depths and locations are often documented by water authorities, yet not all sewers are thoroughly mapped. For Southern Water sewers visit  https://www.southernwater.co.uk/help-advice/drainage-and-water-searches

The need to connect to a manhole in the Highway depends on the scale of the project. For small developments such as one or two houses, ‘junction insertion’ or ‘saddle connection’ methods may suffice.

For larger developments exceeding three houses, connecting to a manhole is typically necessary, with a new manhole constructed if one isn’t nearby. The Water Authority will stipulate the connection method, usually indicated in the ‘Section 106 Approval Letter’. CountyClean Group often manages the Section 106 application as part of its sewer connection service, although clients can choose to handle it themselves. For a quote on sewer connection, click this link.

A branch connection, also known as an ‘oblique junction’ or ‘Y connections’. When inserting a new junction, we cut a small section from the existing sewer and fit the oblique junction. While this may sound straight forward, there’s more to it. For instance, we typically need to stop the ‘flow’ upstream in the next manhole for the work to proceed safely. This method is usually preferred for connecting to a public sewer up to 300mm in diameter.

A “saddle connection” refers to a method used to connect a lateral sewer pipe to an existing sewer main. This is typically done by cutting into the main pipe and attaching a branch connection. This type of connection can be less invasive and more cost-effective than other methods.

While CountyClean Group can apply for the Section 106, and we usually do for almost all of our customers. Some customers choose to apply themselves if they prefer.

To submit a Section 106 application, you/we will need the following:

1. Drainage Plan: A layout showing the location of foul pipes, manholes within the site, the planned connection to the public sewer (via branched connection or saddle connection), and the existing public sewer on the Highway or elsewhere. Amendments to an existing ‘new build’ property’s drainage plan may be necessary to incorporate these details, typically performed by the original architect. Additionally, surface water/rainwater pipes and manholes in the site and their discharge methods should be detailed.
2. Site Plan: This outlines the property’s boundary and its relation to neighbouring properties or nearby landmarks.
3. Consent/signature of Apparatus Owner: Although we manage most of the Section 106 application, you will need to sign as the ‘Apparatus Owner’. While the connection to the public sewer is adopted by the water authority, the responsibility for the lateral pipework in the Highway leading away from the connection usually remains with the property owner unless the lateral is adopted.
4. Water Authority Fee: Section 106 fees vary by water authority and the connection type required. The price tends to be between £400-£600. Exact pricing will be detailed in the quote from us.
5. Method Statement and Risk Assessments: Customised method statements and risk assessments must be supplied for each sewer connection and must be approved by the water authority before work can start. These will be included in our quote.

A Section 50 application to Highways is needed for sewer connections involving road excavation, which is common as most public sewers are located in the Highway. Our service includes handling the application and we ensure we have the necessary credentials, such as operatives and management NRSWA accreditation, public liability insurance and extensive experience in this type of work.

Before applying, we obtain utilities drawings to identify existing infrastructure in the Highway, which includes BT, electric, gas, water and broadband services. These drawings are necessary before making a Section 50 application, which involves submitting proof of accreditation and insurance, a site plan, a traffic management proposal and the Section 106 from the water authority. The application process may take several weeks to complete.

The cost for a Section 50 application to Highways is typically between £500 and £800, varying depending on the location. Additional costs may be incurred if a road closure or parking restrictions are necessary. Our service includes managing the entire process for you, from start to finish, with all associated fees included in the quote. To request a quote, please click here.

Yes. It is a requirement that the actual sewer connection be inspected by the local water authority. In some cases, the private lateral will also need to be inspected by Building Control if it is not being adopted by the water authority, which is often the case for a single new build or a very small development.

Typically, water authorities prefer not to have anything other than foul waste in their sewers, unless there are exceptional circumstances. If there is a specific surface water sewer in the Highway, it may be possible to discharge rainwater or surface water into it, but the water authority might still prefer other methods such as soakaways. All of this is covered in the Section 106 application.