Public Sewer in Garden

[yoyo22]

I am buying a property and the drainage search has shown there is a public combined gravity sewer in the back garden.
Im a bit worried....can anyone see any potential problems with this. Thanks.

[buildersmate]

The potential problem is that (unless it has a screwed down lid - unlikely on a gravity one), in the event of rainwater surge, it lifts the cover and sewage goes everywhere in your garden. You (or your solicitor) can ask an enquiry question of the sellers to see if this has ever happened.
Otherwise, there will be an easement in favour of the utility company entitling them the passage of this pipe, and there's not too much more to be said. Except that you cannot build (new build, that is) on land within X metres of these things. X is typically 5 metres, but different utility companies vary their rules. Is there any danger of it fouling up (not pun intended) any future plans you might have for building an extension to the back of the property?

[danchip]

it also means the utility company is well within their rights to come and dig up your garden in the event of a leak or any work needing done

although they will carryout remedial works to the area its never as good as when they started

[Tizzi247]

If there are ever any problems in relation to the sewer, the number of properties which share the sewer would also share the cost of repair.

[rov1200]

Don't touch it with a barge pole. Untreated raw sewage coming up through the manhole as buildersmate says can cause cholera and other such nasty diseases. Worse of course if you are on a flood plain.

[buildersmate]

What Tizzi says is incorrect. This relates to privately owned sewers, before they reach the main public sewer sewer network.
The questioner asked about PUBLIC sewers running through one's land. Public sewers are owned by the water utility company that operates them and the rules about what can do / not do are entirely different. In the event of a problem with it, the utility company (and not the householders around) would pay for the work, however they would have the right to dig up the garden to do it. They would have to 'make good' - but it takes time for such disruption to look OK again.
Whether or not one touches it with a bargepole should be based on assessing the risk (i.e. how likely is it going to be and how much discount can I get off the price from the owner), not on some random comment.
Taking Rov's advice at face-value should mean one doesn't ever cross the road - one might get run over by a passing truck.

[yoyo22]

thanks for all your answers....I have found out the sewer has never flooded due to overloading, also that it is a former section 24 sewer built prior to 1937. It states sewers of this type have an internal diameter of 150mm or less and are categorized as low risk. Everthing else is perfect with the house...think Im gonna go with it.....

[rov1200]

We had a private sewer in our garden and although just restricted to ourselves during rainy weather the surrounding area got flooded not allowing for the sewage to drain away. Some people in the street with similar problems had to have their sewage carted away, which involved mostly liquid but the cost was enormous over a 3 month period. Because the sewage could not get away from the house it built up in the pipes, got caked up and had to be scraped from the pipes.
Never again!

[rov1200]

ps nothing like personal experience and not relying on chance as Buildsermate says.