Sewerage charges

It can be tricky to work out your sewerage charge and what water from your property enters the public sewer. To help you understand what this means for you, we’ve explained all about wastewater, including surface water drainage, highway drainage and sewerage abatements, below.

It can be tricky to work out your sewerage charge and what water from your property enters the public sewer. To help you understand what this means for you, we’ve explained all about wastewater, including surface water drainage, highway drainage and sewerage, below.

Some customers may have the same company for both water and sewerage services, while others have different providers. In your Anglian Water bill, sewerage charges cover used water, highway drainage, and surface water.

Highway drainage​

Highway drainage is water that drains from public roads and pavements and flows into sewers. All customers who are connected to our sewerage network pay the same amount for highway drainage, as the charge covers any water that flows into our sewers.

We only look after the sewerage pipes and the water that flows underneath the road to our treatment sites, so in the event of a highway flood, you should contact National Highways to report flooding or gully issues.

Surface water drainage​

Surface water is rainwater that drains from homes and private properties and flows into sewers. If your home is not connected to the public sewerage system, either directly or through intermediate sewers or drains, you may be able to apply for a reduction to this charge. Find out more about surface water drainage.

A soakaway can be absorbent ground, or a hole filled with stone and rubble and means surface water gets filtered and soaked into the ground. If you have a soakaway at home, you may be able to reduce your surface water drainage charge.

Sewerage

The fixed sewerage charge includes taking away and cleaning all dirty water and foul sewage from your home. This is not affected by how much water you use; it covers the operating and customer service costs of providing the service to you.

Sewerage abatements

Your sewerage consumption is normally 90% of the water you use, as we allow 10% for activities like garden watering and car washing. If you think less than 90% of your water goes back to our sewer, you could be entitled to a sewerage abatement.