Reply ID 74728
07/06/2010 by Joby
If your house was built before 1937, the water company (Thames Water for sewage, I believe) may well sort it for free (google "section 24 drain").
Reply ID 74748
07/06/2010 by MrsG
Thames Water have done a shared drain next door to us for free earlier today! They also came to clear the same drain about 4 months ago (despite it never being blocked in the previous 5 years). They say that if it blocks 3 times in a year they will put cameras down, also for free. They guy told me that even if they come out and you end up having to pay (if they view it as a private rather than a shared drain) they would only charge £65 which is lower than some other call out firms. They were very helpful. I called at 9.50am and they were with me by noon.
Reply ID 74761
08/06/2010 by boltona
What a useful bit of information that is... I shall not be paying for drains to be cleared again...
From Thames Water:
What you can expect from us
If you experience a blocked drain or sewer, please contact us immediately on 0845 9200 800 (Minicom or Typetalk: 0845 7200 898). We're here to take your call 24 hours a day.
We will try to attend the affected area within six hours of being made aware of the problem. However, depending on the severity of the blockage, this could range from one to 24 hours. When you call us to report your blockage, you will receive a call back within an hour, advising you when we will attend.
If the blockage is found to be within the public sewer system, there will be no charge for us to clear this. If, however, the blockage is found to be in a private drainage system not belonging to us, then we may charge an investigation fee, which will be confirmed with you in advance.
We aim to do the following during our visit:
•Confirm if we are responsible for the pipework where the blockage has occurred.
•If you are responsible for a private blockage in your external drains, we offer a private clearance service for £65. This will involve an engineer spending up to two hours investigating and clearing the blockage.
•If our engineer is unable to clear the blockage, you will not be charged the clearance fee, but you will still have to pay an investigation fee.
•If the blockage reoccurs within seven days, we will re-attend free of charge.