Overflowing Drains
What a drain is
A drain is a pipe that takes sewage from a property into the public sewage system. A drain can serve a single or several properties.
Householders are responsible for the maintenance and repair of their drains until they connect with the public sewer.
What sewage
Sewage 
is made up of water from washbasins, kitchen sinks and baths, the waste flushed down the toilet and rainwater from roads, roofs and gardens.
Raw sewage is untreated sewage. It has to be treated before being circulated back into the system.
Public sewers
A public sewer is a network of pipes which collects sewage from properties and into treatment works. Usually the public sewer runs underneath the nearest road, but sometimes it can be some distance away.
Blocked drains
If you have a blocked drain, please use the following links and contact the appropriate service.
- If the blockage is in the public sewer: Contact Wessex Water
- If the property is a Council House: Contact Poole Housing Partnership Ltd
- If the property is rented accommodation: Contact your Landlord. If your Landlord does not deal with the problem please contact us.
- If the property was built before 1937 and has a shared drain: Contact Wessex Water
- If the property was built after 1937 and has a shared drain, all properties served by the drain have a shared responsibility and should contact a private drainage clearance company.
- If the property was built after 1937 and has no shared drain: Contact a Private Drainage Clearance Company
- If there are land drainage issues: Contact Leisure Services
- Gully in road/water across footpath: Contact Transportation Services
We will only empty the cesspools of properties with a legal agreement with us. If you are one of these properties and need your cesspool emptying, please report this to us.
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