Information about land and building drainage, and what to do if you have a drainage issue
Land drainage
The responsibility for maintenance of land drainage systems is complex. The majority of drainage systems are the responsibility of the riparian owner (if you own land with a watercourse adjacent or running underneath it). The larger and more important water courses are maintained by Internal Drainage Boards and the Environment Agency.
Norfolk County Council is the lead Local Flood Authority for Norfolk. They have developed information and guidance. To view this, please visit Norfolk County Council's flood and water management pages.
Building drainage
We are often called in to resolve drainage problems. These may be blockages, collapsed drains or pollution problems (for example, back surges or sewage in ditches)
Our role is to identify who is responsible for the problem. This will likely be the property or properties that are served by the drain or sewer. This means that the problem may not be on your property, but it may still be your responsibility.
What you can do
If you're on mains drainage speak to your neighbours and see if they're having problems with their drainage too. If they are, it is likely that Anglian Water will be responsible for investigating and repairing the fault. You can find their contact details on the Anglian Water website.
Please contact us if:
- Anglian Water are not responsible for the repairing the fault
- the problem relates to a septic tank or other off mains provision