Highway drainage vs surface water drainage
It’s important to understand that you’re not paying for the same thing twice with these charges.
They are similar, but there is an important difference:
Public roads are used in many ways. This can include transporting goods, products or services via the road, as well as personal journeys and commuting.
This means that any customers who use the roads directly or indirectly will benefit from highway drainage, and so we charge a contribution to this for all of our customers.
All of our customers who are connected to our sewerage network pay the same amount for highway drainage, which helps make sure everybody is paying a fair amount.
Anyone who uses the road network, directly or indirectly, will benefit from highway drainage.
The charge covers any water that flows into our sewer system that we would treat at our treatment works.
If you don’t think you’re connected to any public sewers, and so shouldn’t have to pay for highway drainage, please let us know and we can investigate this for you.
Some of you won’t be connected to a public sewer, for example you have a septic tank. This means you’re less dependent on the network and we wouldn’t charge you for highway drainage.
We’re only allowed to charge you for the services you receive from us, so let us know if you think you’re not connected to our sewer network. We’ll investigate and make sure you pay a fair amount depending on your connection status.
A soakaway is an underground structure that allows rainwater to drain naturally into the ground rather than into a public sewer.
If all of the surface water from your property drains to a soakaway (or another private drainage solution) and none enters the public sewer, you may be eligible to have your surface water drainage charge removed.
To assess your application, we'll need evidence that 100% of your property's surface water drains away from the public sewer network.
What charges will still apply?
Even if your surface water drainage charge is removed, you'll still pay the highway drainage charge.
This charge covers rainwater that drains from public roads and highways into our sewer network. As your property benefits from this service, the highway drainage charge remains payable even when your property's own surface water does not enter our sewers.
Responsibility for highway flooding
Your local council or highways agency will be able to help with any road or highway flooding, while we look after the sewerage pipes underneath the road.
The highway drainage charge helps to cover the cost of treating the water that flows into our sewers from the road. However, it’s your local council or highways agency who are responsible for maintaining the gullies that drain
water into our sewers.
A highway gully is the large pot in the ground covered by a metal grid usually found at the edge of a road
Have a soakaway or private drainage system?
If rainwater from your property drains into a soakaway or another private drainage system instead of the public sewer, you may be able to remove your surface water drainage charge. Find out how surface water drainage works, check whether you could be eligible, and learn how to apply.