Unblocking or clearing drains

Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

A-Z Services:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Unblocking or clearing drains

For blockages under a public highway you need to contact Thames Water on 08459 200800. If there is evidence of a blockage to a surface water drain in the road, it is likely to be the responsibility of Oxfordshire County Council Highways Department – call 0845 3101111.

However if the blockage is within the confines of your house it is likely that as the householder, it is your responsibility to clear the blockage and pay for any work involved.

The Vale of White Horse District Council provides a 24-hour service to unblock private drains in the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Council. Our blockage clearance charge is £75 + VAT. This includes our attendance fee of £42.

**Charges for unblocking and clearing drains**
	Charge
Attendance fee	£42
Attendance fee (out of hours)	£60
Blockages
Blockage clearance	£75
Subsequent hours or part	£60
Out of hours minium charge	£80
Out of hours (subsequent hours)	£70

DSO can be contacted on 01235 540362 during office hours or for out of hours emergencies they can be contacted on 01235 524886. Alternatively companies which offer a service to clear blocked drains can be found in the yellow pages or on the internet.

Who is responsible for maintaining drains and sewers?

A public sewer is a pipe that carries sewage from several properties vested in and maintained by Thames Water. A drain is a single pipe serving one property before it connects to a sewer. A private sewer is a pipe that carries sewage from more than one property before it reaches the public sewer.

The responsibility for the maintenance of drains and public sewers rests with all the people that derive benefit from them.

If a drainage problem becomes a public health issue, the Council’s Environmental Health service will enforce drainage law to ensure the problem is resolved. This may include serving legal notices requiring work to be carried out or even carrying out the work needed and then recovering the costs from the person or agency responsible.