Sewer Repairs in Birmingham

Private Drain vs Shared Sewer

The distinction matters, because it determines who is responsible for the repair and who pays.

• Your lateral drain — the pipe that carries waste from your property to the public sewer — is your responsibility as the owner, for the section within your property boundary.
• A shared sewer — a drain that serves more than one property — is Severn Trent Water's responsibility, even if the pipe runs under your garden. This responsibility transferred from private ownership to the water company under the 2011 transfer of private sewers.
• The grey area: some properties have a combined drain shared with a neighbour before the boundary, or lateral drains that run some distance under a shared driveway. If you're unsure, we'll advise after surveying.

We carry out repairs on private lateral drains. For Severn Trent's network we can document the fault and advise you how to report it to them.

Common Sewer Faults in Birmingham

Birmingham's drainage network spans clay Victorian pipes in the inner city through to pitch-fibre postwar pipework in the outer estates — and every type has characteristic failure modes.

• Cracked and leaking joints. The push-fit cement joints on Victorian clay drainage dry out and crack over decades. Groundwater infiltrates through the joint during wet weather, while effluent leaches out — contaminating soil and, over time, causing ground settlement.
• Root intrusion. Birmingham's mature street trees — planes, limes, horse chestnuts and willows — send feeder roots toward moisture. A cracked joint is all the entry point they need. Once inside, roots expand as the tree grows and eventually fracture the pipe wall.
• Displaced joints. Ground movement — particularly in the clay-rich soils across much of Birmingham — shifts pipe sections out of alignment. The result is a step or offset at the joint that catches debris, restricts flow, and eventually causes a blockage or structural failure.
• Blockage from FOG and non-flushables. Fat, oil and grease (FOG) coats the pipe wall and narrows the bore over time. Wet wipes, sanitary products, and similar materials build up on the grease and cause partial or full blockages. High-occupancy Victorian terraces in Selly Oak, Sparkhill, and Aston are particularly prone.
• Partial or complete collapse. Structural failure — whether from ground movement, vehicle loading, or progressive deterioration — can narrow or close the bore entirely. This requires excavation; no-dig relining is not an option once the pipe shape is lost.

No-Dig Repair vs Excavation

Our first choice is always to repair without digging. If the pipe retains its original circular or oval profile, we can reline the pipe from the inside — a resin liner is inserted through the existing manhole, inflated against the pipe wall, and cured in place to form a continuous joint-free bore. This seals cracks, bridges displaced joints, and stops root ingress permanently.

If the pipe has deformed or collapsed, relining is not possible. We excavate only the failed section — targeted dig, not trench the full run — replace with modern uPVC, and reinstate the surface. You can read more about that process on our collapsed drain repair page.

We always complete a CCTV survey before quoting. The camera determines which approach is appropriate — we don't recommend relining a pipe that won't hold a liner, and we won't excavate when relining will do the job.

Surfacing Sewage Is an Emergency

Sewage reaching the surface — in a garden, under a floor, or pooling in a yard — is a public health hazard. It requires immediate attention, not a scheduled visit. Call us now on 0121 661 3955; we treat sewage surfacing as a priority call-out and aim to attend within the hour in most parts of Birmingham.

If the surfacing sewage is coming from a public sewer (identifiable by a Severn Trent inspection cover in the road or pavement nearby), report it to Severn Trent on 0800 783 4444 as well as calling us — it is their network and their statutory duty to respond.

For blocked sewers specifically, see our dedicated blocked sewer page.