Some of the public sewers in Wigan Borough are very old, having been built in the 19th century. Inevitably, from time to time they collapse or get blocked. In other cases the sewers are too small to deal with the increase in population since they were built, and so when it rains heavily they may back up and flood. Occasionally the flooding affects houses and gardens.
If you are a council tenant or if you have bought your council house:
- If you are a tenant of the council and you have problems with your drains or sewer, your first contact should be your local housing repair office.
- If you have bought your council house and are having drainage problems, you should contact the Environmental Protection team.
If you are an owner of private property and your drains are blocked:
- If no other property is affected, then the responsibility for clearing the drains lies with you. You may need to contact a specialist drainage contractor.
- Public sewers are normally found under main roads. If you think the problem lies with the public sewer, you should contact United Utilities Plc (External link) on 0845 746 2200 or in writing to: United Utilities Plc, Haweswater House, Lingley Mere Business Park, Lingley Green Avenue, Warrington, WA5 3LP
- If in doubt, you can contact us at the address at the bottom of this page.
What happens next?
If the problem is on the public sewer:
The blockage will be dealt with by operatives from United Utilities plc.
If it is a council housing problem:
The local repair office will arrange for the drain or sewer to be cleared.
If it is a private problem, you will be advised to:
- Contact a private contractor or attempt to clear it yourself if it is just your property that is affected, or
- Contact the Environmental Health team if more than one property is affected. They have powers to serve legal notice on all the householders that are involved, requiring the blockage to be cleared and the cost of the work to be jointly paid for, or
- Contact the Environmental Protection team: Wigan area 01942 489627 or 01942 489356 Leigh area 01942 489355
