Watercourses - who is responsible?
The 1991 land drainage act states that: A watercourse (or riparian) owner has a duty to accept naturally occurring flows of water and allow them to pass uninterrupted.
It is very important that ditches, pipes and culverts are kept clear in order to reduce the risk of flooding. The responsibility of this falls to the riparian owner (the owner of the land through which a watercourse, open or piped, passes).
Guildford Borough Council is the land drainage authority for the area. This means that the council has legal powers to ensure that landowners fulfil their responsibility as riparian owners by keeping watercourses on their land clear. If riparian owners do not fulfil their obligations, the council has the authority to serve legal notice, or undertake the works and recharge the riparian owner for the cost of the works.
To help prevent flooding, Guildford Borough Council undertakes annual clearance works on around 23km of strategic ditches where it is in the interest of the wider public (although this does not remove the responsibility from the riparian owner). Some of the streams are on land owned by the council and so we are the riparian owner. In addition to this, we maintain 9km of pipes and culverts.
Below are some examples of land drainage works that have been undertaken by the council.
Watercourse clearance works Worplesdon, December 2008
A section of watercourse was cleared on behalf of Worplesdon Parish Council. This was routine maintenance carried out to ensure the surrounding land continued to be drained effectively.
Watercourse clearance works Tongham, August 2009
Following an investigation, the council carried out works to improve the land drainage in the Poyle Road area of Tongham.
Land drainage grille clearance
Engineering services arrange the checking and clearance of over 90 land drainage grilles to help prevent flooding. We also replace or install new grilles where it is in the public interest to create better drain land locally. Below are before and after photos of a grille that was recently built in Ash.
Please use the contact details at the bottom of this page for further information and advice.
For rivers and general advice on flooding, contact the Environment Agency.
For flooding from the highway or blocked road gullies, contact Surrey County Council who are the highway authority.
For foul or surface water sewers, contact Thames Water.
Engineering Services
Guildford Borough Council
Millmead House
Millmead
Guildford
GU2 4BB
Tel: 01483 444506
Fax: 01483 444511
Email: engineeringservices@guildford.gov.uk