Land drainage

Land drains

Land drains, open ditches, streams and rivers are, generally, the responsibility of the owner of the land in which they are situated. 

Can I get help?

The Environment Agency is the enforcing authority for "main rivers".

We generally act in an advisory capacity with land drainage enquiries, but in serious cases we may choose to take enforcement action against the owner of the land on which the problem has arisen.

Please contact us if you have an enquiry regarding land drainage.

Culverts

A culvert is a watercourse, stream, or natural flow of water that is piped/channeled underground to enable the development of the land through which it flows.

Pollution in rivers, canals and reservoirs

Enquires about pollution in rivers need to be reported to the Environment Agency (opens new window) Tel 0800 807 060.

Enquiries about pollution in Canals need to be reported to British Waterways (opens new window) on Tel 01923 201120

Enquiries about pollution of reservoirs need to be reported to United utilities (opens new window) 0800 015 1230 or Severn Trent (opens new window) 0800 783 4444 depending on the location of the reservoir.

Who is responsible?

The owner of the land - through which the culvert or water course is running - is responsible for clearing a blocked culvert.

In the case of culverts we may act to ensure that they are kept free of debris, as there can occasionally be a flooding risk depending on the location.