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Surface water drainage explained

What is surface water drainage?

Part of your bill pays for us to take away all the rainwater that falls onto your home and drains into our sewers – including your roof, your driveway and your path. We then take away all this rainwater and clean it at one of our treatment works before returning it to rivers and the sea.

We call this service ‘surface water drainage’ and it is a fixed charge for the year.

However, if you believe that no surface water from your property drains into our sewers then you can apply for a reduction in your sewerage charges. We’ve explained more below.

Are you eligible for a discount?

To qualify for a discount on your sewerage charges, you will need to prove that the rainwater that falls on your home (including your roof, drive, patio, yard etc.) drains directly into the ground, or a watercourse such as a brook or stream, or a soakaway – without draining into our sewer pipes.

If this applies to you, it’s really easy to apply for a discount. Download our application form for full details.

How much could you save on your bill?

The discount you will receive will depend on whether you have a water meter or your bills are calculated using the rateable value of your home.

For customers with a meter, the discount is around £80 (2024/25 charges).

For RV customers the discount is around 27% of your sewerage charges.

Next steps

Download our application form for full details on how to apply for a surface water discount.

Important notice

Heavy rainfall and sewer flooding

The heavy rainfall may be causing flooding in some parts of the region.

Our teams are out working hard across the region helping our customers who have experienced sewer flooding in their homes.

If you’re experiencing flooding from a road or footpath and there is no evidence of sewage (toilet paper etc.) please report this to your local council, who are responsible for highways drainage flooding.

Please be aware that our phone lines are much busier than normal, take a look at our flooding page for further advice on what to do if you’re affected by flooding.

Heavy rainfall across the North West may be causing flooding in some parts of the region. Our teams are out working hard across the region helping our customers who have experienced sewer flooding in their homes.

Flooding advice

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