Section 106
New connection to a
public sewer:
Guidance notes
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Sewer Connection Guidance Notes
Section 106 and 107 of the Water Industry Act 1991
IT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE TO MAKE A CONNECTION TO A PUBLIC SEWER WITHOUT
THE WRITTEN APPROVAL OF NORTHUMBRIAN WATER
Introduction
There are two parts to the approval of a new connection. First of all Northumbrian Water must
approve the principle of the connection (i.e. connection point, flows etc.). Secondly Northumbrian
Water must approve the proposed works required to make the connection.
There are two options for making a new direct connection to a public sewer:
Option 1 Northumbrian Water’s approved contractor undertakes the work at your expense
Option 2 Northumbrian Water approves a contractor of your choice to carry out the work.
Please note Northumbrian Water’s consent is not guaranteed. Northumbrian Water will
inspect the quality of the construction.
Or if you wish to make an indirect connection, via a connection to a private sewer that
communicates with a public sewer:
Option 3 Your contractor undertakes the work to connect to a private sewer, once
Northumbrian Water has approved the principle of the discharge
In all cases Northumbrian Water will, if requested, adopt a lateral drain from a manhole at the
boundary of your property to the point of connection with the existing public sewer.
Connection approval is valid for a period of 90 days, if the physical connection is not carried out in
this period a new application must be made.
Option 1 - Northumbrian Water’s Approved Contractors
You can employ one of Northumbrian Water’s approved contractors to carry out the connection
work on your behalf. The contact details of these contractors will be provided to you when approval
to your application is issued.
Approved contractors comply with all Health & Safety and Roads & Streetworks legislation and
requirements. If you choose this option a connection application form and a non refundable
administration fee is required. A full and complete application will be processed within 15 working
days. When your application is approved you will be issued with a unique reference number,
without which the contractor will not commence work.
This option guarantees the quality of the works undertaken, and ensures strict compliance with
health and safety legislation.
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Option 2 - Contractor of your choice
You can request that Northumbrian Water approves a contractor of your choice to carry out the
work. Please note Northumbrian Water’s consent is not guaranteed. A connection application
form must be submitted along with a non refundable administration fee.
In addition the contractor must provide a method statement, risk assessment and other evidence of
competency (depending on location and means of connection) for approval. These documents can
be submitted with your initial application or after Northumbrian Water have approved your point of
connection to the sewer.
Northumbrian Water will provide you with an Operational Risk Assessment which must be
forwarded to your contractor. It will highlight any known potential hazards in relation to the sewer to
which you are connecting.
Your contractor will also need to comply with all relevant legal requirements. For example, all
works in the street must comply with the provisions of the New Roads and Street Works Act and
you will be responsible for the subsequent reinstatement. You must liaise directly with the Highway
Authority on these matters. In addition, if the connection is to be in land belonging to a third party,
Northumbrian Water will need to be satisfied that you have the consent of the land owner, before
we can agree the connection.
A full and complete application will be processed within 15 working days.
Northumbrian Water encourage connections to be made without man entry in to the Public
Sewer. If this can not be avoided the contractor must submit details of their “Permit to
Enter” procedure for approval.
A minimum of two working days notice must be given to Northumbrian Water of when the
connection is to be made to enable site inspections to be programmed. If any additional
inspections are required due to defective work or the contractor not satisfying all Northumbrian
Water’s Health & Safety requirements an additional charge will be made.
If the completed connection is backfilled prior to an inspection by Northumbrian Water you may be
invoiced for CCTV costs and the costs of any correcting any defects.
Option 3 - Indirect Connections
An indirect connection is a connection made to an existing private pipe that is already connected to
the public sewer i.e. a connection to an existing private drain or sewer.
In the case of connection to a private drain or sewer, Northumbrian Water will be approving the
principle of the discharge to the public sewer and not the physical connection. Permission to
connect must be obtained from the owner of the drain/sewer and you must also ensure the
adequacy of the private drain/sewer to accept the connection(s) and additional flows.
Northumbrian Water will not inspect indirect connections. The Building Control Department of your
local authority may wish to inspect and should be made aware of your proposals in this respect.
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Pre Development Enquiry
If you propose to connect three or more domestic dwellings (or the non-domestic equivalent) to the
public sewer you must submit a Pre Development Enquiry to Northumbrian Water prior to
submitting a connection application. This process will confirm if the public sewerage system has
capacity to accept your proposed discharges.
Please refer to the Sewerage Services section of our website for Pre-Development Enquiries.
Trade Effluent
Non-domestic discharges require a Trade Effluent Consent. If anything other than domestic
sewage is discharged into the public sewers without a Trade Effluent Consent, an offence is
committed and the applicant will be liable to the penalties contained in Section 118 of the Water
Industry Act 1991.
The discharge of non-domestic effluent is not permitted until Northumbrian Water has issued a
valid Trade Effluent Consent.
Please refer to the Trade Effluent pages on our website if you require Trade Effluent Consent.
Infrastructure Charges
All sewer connections that connect a property to the public sewer for the first time are subject to a
sewerage infrastructure charge. This charge is in addition to all other fees and is related to the
increased demand on the sewerage system. The current fee is indicated in the application form.
If your connection is for anything other than a domestic dwelling the fee will be calculated on an
individual basis.
The sewerage infrastructure fee is normally invoiced when a water connection application is made
however if this has not been done an invoice will follow.
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Connection Methods
Connection to the public sewer must be by one of the following methods:
1. Pre formed junction – suitable for sewers 150mm or less by removing a length of sewer using
a pipe cutter or disc saw. A pre formed junction shall then be inserted and secured using coupling
to form flexible joints. The couplings should be compatible with the pipes and fittings involved and
they shall comply with any Water Industry Standard. This method may also be used for larger
pipes.
2. Saddle Connection – suitable for sewers having a diameter of 300mm or greater by cutting a
hole into the pipe with a suitable trepanning device. A short piece of pipe with a socket attached
shall then be inserted into the hole and sealed with epoxy mortar.
3. Existing Manhole – suitable for pipes of any diameter where there is a convenient existing
manhole. Connections should be made at soffit level by cutting brickwork or concrete and inserting
a stub pipe. Manhole benching should be reformed to suit new flow patterns.
4. New Manhole – If the connection is to serve 4 or more domestic properties you will be required
to provide a new manhole to the standards of the current edition of Sewers for Adoption.
5. Pumped Connections – a private chamber should be constructed from which a gravity
connection should be made to the sewer.
Public Sewer Records
If you require a copy of a plan showing the approximate location of public sewers please contact
Northumbrian Water Property Solutions on 0870 2417408. There is a nominal fee for this service.
It is essential that you satisfy yourself that there is a public sewer available to take your connection,
before making a connection application.
Contact Details
Should you require any further information or assistance please contact us at:
New Development Sewerage Team
Northumbrian Water
Leat House
Pattinson Road
Washington
Tyne & Wear
NE38 8LB
Telephone 0845 7171100
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
How long will it take to get a response to my application?
We will respond to your application within 15 working days. However if the application is
incomplete the response may take longer.
How long is the approval valid for?
Approval is valid for a period of 90 days, if the physical connection is not carried out in this period
a new application must be made.
Why do I have to pay infrastructure charges?
“Water infrastructure charge” means the charge for first time water connection or for the
redevelopment of premises previously having a water connection. “Sewerage infrastructure
charge” means the charge for first time sewerage connection or for the redevelopment of premises
previously having a sewerage connection. The charges are cumulative, i.e. you will need to pay
two charges where a water connection and a sewer connection are required, for each new or
redeveloped property.
Infrastructure charges are one off payments that are used to reinforce the infrastructure which
Northumbrian Water uses to provide clean water and wastewater services.
Developments or redevelopments result in an increase in clean water used and an increase in the
amount of foul sewage and surface-water runoff produced. The additional clean water demand
means we need to provide more clean water to customers. The additional foul and surface water
can increase flood risk and cause combined sewer overflows and wastewater treatment works to
fail discharge consents, and cause pollution incidents.
The infrastructure charges are used in a combination of ways to increase the capacity of clean
water provision and increase the capacity of foul and surface water conveyance, treatment and
disposal:
Upgrading and up-sizing clean water reservoirs, pumping stations, water treatment works
and water main networks
Upgrading and upsizing sewers, storm water attenuation, pumping stations and waste
water treatment works
Providing flood relief schemes
Paying for the cost of increased maintenance and administration
The infrastructure charges are regulated by Ofwat and reviewed annually.
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