The Government announced on 22 February that existing private sewers and lateral drains connected to public sewers in England should be transferred into the ownership of the nine statutory water and sewerage companies. The Government undertook to consult on a range of ways the transfer could be implemented and to examine how to prevent the proliferation of new private sewers. The consultation would also pose questions on the scope of assets to be included in the transfer.
The 12 week consultation on implementation options is planned to take place over the summer. Following this, regulations will be drafted, consulted on and amended accordingly. The timing of the process cannot be stated exactly, but the earliest date for regulations to be in force is likely to be summer 2008.