Rainwater drainage options?

[kfl31]

Not sure if this should be in guttering or gardens but looking for some advice! I have a small front garden - 2m from house to boundary wall. I've been doing some landscaping work involving digging up the old broken concrete paths round the house and discovered that the rainwater downpipe was going under the concrete into old clay pipes. Clay pipe ran from gutter under the boundary wall and pavement to a small gully onto the road - see green line in pic. However it was cracking near the downpipe gully and completely blocked with soil so clearly not functioning. I'm not aware of any problems it's been causing...yet.. but it doesn't feel right! The downpipe is on my side of the property but collects rainwater from the gutter on my property and neighbours.

I cut away the broken bit around the guttering and used drain rods to try to clear out the clay pipe but there's one section under the pavement that's just a solid blockage..I suspect the clay pipe has maybe collapsed at that point. I need to fix the situation before I can finish landscaping and right now all the gutter water is just building up and pooling in front of my house (not helped my 'permeable' geotextile I laid that takes ages to permeate and some pretty heavy rain recently) - it eventually drains into the ground but can't imagine it's good for the foundations! I contacted the council and the water authority and both said it was the others responsibility. Water company did come out and immediately said the pipe under the pavement is definitely the council and wouldn't touch it. I'm chasing the council but haven't heard back.

I had hoped the council could fix the section under the pavement into my boundary and then I could fit some new guttering to that. Firstly, is that the kind of thing the council would do in this scenario? Secondly, if they won't what are my options for drainage?

I'm laying a gravel path next to the house with a flower bed. There's not enough space for a proper soakaway - the furthest it could be is under the flower bed so approx 1.5m from house. There's no other drains in the front garden. I can't see any other way of getting the water out of my property and onto the road. Complicated by having a tree there that I'd rather not get rid of. Any ideas or advice appreciated!

 

[blup]

Surface water drainage onto highways occurs all the time , so presumably the water authority or highway authority’s responsibility. You might want to consider draining direct (above ground) onto the footway if the authorities won’t act.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I had hoped the council could fix the section under the pavement into my boundary and then I could fit some new guttering to that. Firstly, is that the kind of thing the council would do in this scenario? Secondly, if they won't what are my options for drainage?

If it's shared drainage, then most likely it the company you pay your water rates to's, responsibility to maintain and repair it. Check your water bill, it should include a drainage charge.

 

[ree]

OP, Its a good question - esp. in your particular case.
Check again with the water utility and with your Building dept. - email the big boss's with pics.
Check at the pavement kerb as to whether an outlet shows above the roadside gutter?
Keep an immediate record of all visits & comms etc. - keep all parties informed.

 

[robinbanks]

Drain cameras are available really cheap these days (less then a tenner, basically just a webcam and light on a long usb lead). I'd buy one and tape it to a drain rod or two, break into the drain as close to the boundary as you can get, and see can you get a look down it to know what's going on.

Note that drain camming can be quite disorientating. I recommend drawing a line along your drain rods to mark "top" then taping the camera to the top of the rod such that its image is "right way up" and keep the rods oriented to "right way up"'as you pass them down the drain