Drain and Sewer FAQs

In December 2008 Government announced that from 1 October 2011, private sewers and lateral drains across the region will become Anglian Water’s responsibility.

I have an emergency drainage insurance policy – do I still need it?

Anglian Water works with HomeServe to provide customers with home emergency insurance. Post transfer, HomeServe policies will cover a property’s internal drainage system and drains taking the waste away from only that property.

We believe that for the vast majority of customers HomeServe policies will still provide valuable cover for drainage incidents which remain their responsibility. For customers holding plumbing and drainage cover, their plumbing cover is unaffected by this change.

Customers will continue to benefit from;

A 24 hour emergency hotline
An approved HomeServe plumbing or drainage engineer who will aim to arrive within two hours
Cover of up to £4,000 per claim for external drainage claims and £2,000 per claim for internal emergencies, with up to two claims per year for each
No bills to pay, HomeServe will settle the bill directly.

Based upon a survey of their customer claims in May and June this year, Homeserve believes that 70%* of drainage problems will remain the homeowner’s responsibility to repair as experience suggests the majority of issues occur near the property wall.

*Source: HomeServe Claims Statistics April – May 2011, based on a sample of 293 drainage claims

Queries of a nature specific to the policy (eg level of service, premium etc) should be directed to HomeServe on 0800 247 999.

Customers with other types of insurance should contact their provider with specific queries.

Will Anglian Water's new responsibilities as a result of the Private Sewer Transfer mean I don't need insurance?

No, Anglian Water will not be responsible for any internal drainage issues or any problems which occur with private drains.

I don’t have a drainage policy – do I need one?

Repair or unblocking of sewers within your own property can be expensive. For more information on how to take out insurance cover against these potential costs visit cover.homeserve.com/anglianwater/plumbing-drainage/

Drainage survey - facts

- 70% of all external drainage blockages were in the Private Drains

- 19% of all external drainage blockages were in the Lateral Drains

- 11% of all external drainage blockages were in the Shared Drains

= The customer is still responsible for 70% of the External Drainage claims.

Source: HomeServe Claims Statistics April – May 2011, based on a sample of 293 drainage claims

For more information please visit;

www.anglianwater.co.uk/sewerswitchover

http://www.water.org.uk/home/policy/private-sewers-transfer