The Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006

Right to communicate with public sewers

163.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this Article—

(a) the owner or occupier of any premises, or

(b) the owner of any private sewer which drains premises,

shall be entitled to have his drains or sewer communicate with the public sewer of any sewerage undertaker and thereby to discharge foul water and surface water from those premises or that private sewer.

(2) In this Article, and in Articles 164 to 166, 168, 170 to 173, 175, 176, 182, 185, 198 and 206—

(a) references (however expressed) to a public sewer include a public lateral drain which satisfies sewer standards; and

(b) for the purposes of sub-paragraph (a)—

(i) a “public lateral drain” is a lateral drain which either belongs to the sewerage undertaker or is vested in the sewerage undertaker by virtue of a declaration made under Article 159 or under an agreement made under Article 161; and

(ii) “sewer standards” means such standards of construction and repair as the undertaker would require if the public lateral drain or part of it were to become a public sewer.

(3) Subject to the provisions of Chapter III of this Part, nothing in paragraph (1) shall entitle any person—

(a) to discharge directly or indirectly into any public sewer—

(i) any liquid from a factory, other than domestic sewage or surface or storm water, or any liquid from a manufacturing process; or

(ii) any liquid or other matter the discharge of which into public sewers is prohibited by or under any statutory provision; or

(b) where separate public sewers are provided for foul water and for surface water, to discharge directly or indirectly—

(i) foul water into a sewer provided for surface water; or

(ii) except with the approval of the undertaker, surface water into a sewer provided for foul water; or

(c) to have his drains or sewer made to communicate directly with a storm-water overflow sewer.

(4) A person whose private sewer or drains do not communicate with a public sewer and who is desirous of availing himself of his entitlement under this Article shall give notice of his proposals to the sewerage undertaker in question.

(5) At any time within 21 days after a sewerage undertaker receives a notice under paragraph (4), the undertaker may by notice to the person who gave the notice refuse to permit the communication to be made, if it appears to the undertaker that the mode of construction or condition of the drain or sewer—

(a) does not satisfy the standards reasonably required by the undertaker; or

(b) is such that the making of the communication would be prejudicial to the undertaker’s sewerage system.

(6) For the purpose of examining the mode of construction and condition of a drain or sewer to which a notice under paragraph (4) relates a sewerage undertaker may, if necessary, require it to be laid open for inspection.

(7) Where the sewer or drain satisfies the standards reasonably required by it, a sewerage undertaker may, as a condition of permitting the communication to be made, require that the sewer or that part of the drain forming the lateral drain be vested in it by virtue of a declaration under Article 159.

(8) Any question arising under paragraphs (4) to (7) between a sewerage undertaker and a person proposing to make a communication as to—

(a) the reasonableness of the undertaker’s refusal to permit a communication to be made; or

(b) as to the reasonableness of any requirement under paragraph (6) or (7),

may, on the application of that person, be determined by the Authority under Article 61 and, accordingly, Article 162 shall not apply to any requirement under paragraph (7).

(9) In this Article “factory” has the same meaning as in the Factories Act (Northern Ireland) 1965 (c. 20).