Manhole in garden?

[blackcloud]

Hi

We recently moved into a new property and have been wondering why we always get flies and a terrible smell when sitting on the decking in front of the kitchen window in the back garden.

We unscrewed a couple of the decking boards and discovered a manhole sewer.
It wasn't sealed or anything. ...well someone had put a concrete makeshift slab on it which didn't fit and certainly didn't seal the edges with large gaps around the edges allowing smells and vermin to come out of.

Shouldn't the water company have this sealed up with a proper cover ie like the ones you see in the street?

Please see picture. It was also clogged up which is now unclogged by the water company. I wish I had asked about this.

 

[blup]

Its probably not not the water authority's responsibility, unless it goes through a neighbour's property shared with a neighbour, and they may not have known about.

 

[blackcloud]

Yes goes straight though all the neighbours properties and then into the road.

 

[Madrab]

If any of the neighbours waste flows through that then it's shared, if so call the water company/council first.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Yes, it should have a proper cover on it, but if a 3rd Party, (i.e. previous occupiers of the property), have removed it for whatever reason, (looks to me like the cover may have been in the way of their decking joists, so they've removed it!), then the water Company will be none the wiser.

Report it and they should attend and fit an appropriate cover.