Section 117A: Use of undertaker's sewerage system, Water Industry Act 1991

This section applies where a sewerage licensee with a retail authorisation ("L") requests a sewerage undertaker to permit the use of the undertaker's sewerage system for the purpose of enabling L to provide sewerage services in respect of premises that—

L is to serve in accordance with L's retail authorisation, and

are in the area of the sewerage undertaker.

Where this section applies, the undertaker must in accordance with a section 117E agreement take such steps—

for the purpose of connecting the drains or sewers of the premises in question to the undertaker's sewerage system, or

in respect of that system,

as may be provided for in that agreement in order to enable the requested use of that system.

A sewerage undertaker is not required by this section to take any steps to enable the use of its sewerage system at a time when it is required to take those steps by virtue of a notice under section 98(1) or (1A) or a request under section 101B(1).

A sewerage undertaker is not required by this section to permit the use of its sewerage system, or to take any steps to enable its use, if the sewerage licensee making a request has not secured by means of—

a request under section 117B made by the licensee, or

a request under section 117C made by the licensee or another sewerage licensee,

that there is to be provision for dealing with or removing matter from the sewerage system in quantities determined by reference to the extent of sewerage services provided in respect of the premises in question.

Where—

a request has been made by a sewerage licensee for the purposes of subsection (1), and

the steps which the undertaker is required to take by virtue of that request include steps for the purpose of obtaining any necessary authority for, or agreement to, any exercise by it of any of its powers or the carrying out by it of any works,

the failure of the undertaker to acquire the necessary authority or agreement does not affect the liability of the licensee to reimburse the undertaker in respect of some or all of the expenses incurred by it in taking those steps, if the section 117E agreement provides for such liability as regards those steps.

For the purposes of this section and sections 117B and 117C—

premises which are outside a sewerage undertaker's area are to be treated as being within that area if they are provided with sewerage services using the undertaker's sewerage system, and

any sewers or drains of the sewerage undertaker which are used for the purpose of serving premises as mentioned in paragraph (a) are to be treated as being part of the undertaker's sewerage system (if they would not otherwise be part of it).

In this section and sections 117B to 117D—

references to the sewerage system of a sewerage undertaker are to be construed in accordance with section 17BA(7);

references to the retail authorisation of a sewerage licensee are to be construed in accordance with Schedule 2B.

Section 117A: Use of undertaker's sewerage system

Discussed in

About this text