Blocked Shores

[clareG]

My late mam's house is last on the block of six houses and there is no one living there. Last year and again in December and yesterday I have had to get in a drain clening company to clear a blockage. Lots of wipes and raw sewage were floating around the back garden. This is an old corporation house that was purchased. Can anyone tell me if we have to keep paying out the €200 plus each time this happens, or is it a council problem. As the house is owned, I think all expenses have to be paid by the family. Thanks for any advice. Its a mess!!

 

[thinkofaname]

Hi clareG,

The short answer is the problem is yours. I have had similar experiences with my own house and with others which I maintain. The sewer is your problem until it hits the main sewer.
It may be that you can collect some of the cost from the other householders if you all share the one sewer.
Did the drain company give you any explanation as to why it was blocking?
Wipes don't help but generally they don't block unless in huge volume or because there is another problem also.
Is there a manhole and a trap(large square hole) on your property?

 

[ophelia]

The problem is not yours exclusively; you need to phone the council and they will send their men out to diagnose and hopefully fix the problem. They will question those who use the drain which exits at your late mother's house. Someone is putting stuff down the drain which they shouldn't be. I had a similar problem, (I am an end house), and all five householders in my case, had to foot the bill equally (E1,200 divided into 5) - but our problem necessitated digging up the footpath and replacing a broken drain (our side of the main sewer). If anyone doesn't pay the contractor who was hired by the council then the Environmental health officer will prosecute. The contractor will have to get planning permission to dig up the pavement and this can take a few weeks, but they work closely with the council and it went pretty smoothly in my case. Don't spend anymore money on those private drain companies as they are very expensive - I did the same thing until I phoned the council.