Drainage issue and no manhole present on property

[David Roy51]

Hi.
I'm lost to my rights on this matter and I'm in shock on the quote we've just received to try and identify the problem.

We own a semi detached bungalow. We have two gullies (i.e. drains) around 10 feet apart on our driveway. One takes bathroom water waste and the other kitchen water waste. Both gullies are full to the brim with water and the levels don't drop. Using any bathroom water causes the bathroom gully to overflow. The same goes for the kitchen gully.

We initially phoned Anglian Water (our local water authority) and was advised that due to the blockage being on our property (our two gullies being blocked), it is not their responsibility.
We've just had a drainage specialist round and he couldn't resolve the blockage even after placing the jet hose 6 meters into the drain and jet washing it. He advised he couldn't get the hose any further.
We do not have a manhole present on our property. In our cul-de-sac of a dozen properties, we are the only bungalow that doesn't have one. The drain specialist suspects our bathroom, kitchen, and toilet waste all filters into one stream that then goes around the back of our property and then joins the neighbour's, the semi-detached bungalow we join to, water waste stream.
Due to no manhole present on our property, it's been advised that we will need to have our gully dug up and then assessed to try and either clear the blockage or ascertain what next needs to be done. The quote for this replacement gully is £1800 and this doesn't guarantee the fix. I'm shocked.
I can't escape the thought that if we had a manhole present then this issue may have diagnosed from there rather then the need to replaced the gully at a large expense.

My thought is, with no manhole on our property, and the suggestion that our water waste feeds through to and joins our neighbours property (they have no blockages and haven't had any), that we may seek to have this issue resolved by Anglian Water at their expense. Is this plausible?
Do we have any recourse other than to fork our £1800 and possibly up to £3000 is the pipework needs replacing?
Will house and buildings insurance cover this?

I do not know my rights and I feel these authorities/insurance companies will fob me off. You guidance will be much appreciated. Thank you.

[David Roy51]

I've found a diagram and have circled in green where the blockage could lay (as shown in the attached image). If the drain specialist has inserted a jet hose 6 metres into the gully then I would expect the blockage is further down the pipework but still on our property (as indicated by purple), or the blockage is on the lateral drain (as indicated by red) that goes onto our neighbours property but before their drains connect to it, otherwise they'd have blockages too - the key point here is it could be on their property. Due to this odd, no manhole situation, is the water authority responsible?

[Pezza54]

Have you posted the correct diagram? Doesn't look like bungalows to me and I can't see a drive
Is there a wc in the bathroom? If so where does the soil pipe run that contains more than waste water?
In the diagram rainwater pipes and drains are missing.

[atticus]

If the problem is on private land, whether yours or your neighbour's, I cannot see how Anglia Water can have any liability.

[Pezza54]

If the waste from your wc (soil and vent pipe) joins a lateral underground drain, then an inspection chamber providing rodding access is required at this junction. This junction is the most likely cause of the blockage. Is the wc flushing ok? Before breaking out the gulley(s) you need to determine the cause of the blockage
Anglian won't assist if the drain isn't shared
You could ask your neighbour if they would agree to you lifting their chamber cover, flushing your wc and watching to check if wc flow passes through their chamber

[David Roy51]

The image provided is not of our premises and neither is an accurate representation of the same. I thought it better than nothing to aid describe my concern.

There is no manhole cover on our premises. Looking at the survey completed, when we purchased the property, the document states no manhole cover was present.
With no manhole present on our property, would this indicate an unique waste drainage system that maybe connects to our neighbours, or in some way means the local water authority is responsible
At this stage, I feel the drainage specialist, who came yesterday, could be completely wrong in what they stated (i.e. the waste water is taken away around back of our house and the therefore he tested the wrong gully, etc..).

You're absolutely correct. I need to understand exactly what the fault is and where it is before I take this any further forward. The suggestion of digging out the gully just adds to my doubt of his suggestion.
Anglian Water are due to be around by Saturday. I'm hoping at very least they'll be able to:
1) Inform me on the route my drainage takes.
2) Inform on the manhole cover I can use to check the toilet (the toilet doesn't rise or overflow but there is some gurgling when it's urinated in).
3) Identity the fault and exactly where is it.

This would then lead to the discussion on who is responsible. At present, I know the symptoms but have no clue on the cause. I'm worried Anglian Water will fob me off just, what's seemingly like, as the drainage specialist did yesterday. I can't they're advising to pay £2k for a hopeful remedy. Thank you.

[Pezza54]

You haven't mentioned the soil waste connection from your wc to the sewer drain
Is it possible an inspection chamber cover was paved over when the drive was laid?
I struggle to believe that the wc soil pipe was constructed without anyway of rodding the pipe
You should check with your neighbour if it is okay to access their chamber

When I had the water company clear a blocked shared drain on my property, after clearing the blockage the engineer carried out a camera survey and told me the pipe was pitch fibre but was ok and didn't need replacing. He also said had it needed replacing his company would have carried out the work foc

[David Roy51]

An update.
Anglian Water delayed our engineer by a further four days. Sceptical of the first private drain engineer wanting £1800, I arranged for a second opinion. The second engineer came round and performed the same action as the first engineer but was able to clear the blockage. It's been suggested the first engineer didn't use a high enough force to clear the blockage. The issue is now resolved.
I have placed a complaint with the first engineer's company. I stated their engineer was incompetent and I would like to be refunded my monies paid. I will receive a response on Monday.

May I ask what are my rights to receiving this refund? The second engineer spent only fifteen minutes power washing the blockage. This is exactly what the first engineer did but he didn't resolve the issue. I am now aware the first engineer came from nationwide company that have a reputation to try something simple and short, then advise on a big cost to rectify a simple problem. I'm glad I asked for a second opinion.
If I don't receive a refund, I will feel compelled to state my experiences on every forum I find. It's best they provide a refund.
Thank you.

[Pezza54]

Did the engineer say what caused the blockage? Was it waste from the wc? Is it likely to reoccur?

If you paid the first engineer's company by debit card, you could consider making a chargeback claim
He (his company) failed to provide reasonable care and skill under Section 49 of CRA 2015

[David Roy51]

The blockage wasn't collected and so we won't know. However, it was suggested it's probably just general guck that finds its way down a plug hole over the years. The second engineer advised not having a blockage in fifteen years plus is not bad going. He doesn't believe it was come back. The second engineer also confirmed the direction of our water ways which was actually the opposite direction of where the first engineer was stating - another sign of incompetence.

[Pezza54]

I've amended my post 9 adding to it

[David Roy51]

Thanks PEZZA54, I wasn't aware of Section 49 of CRA 2015. With the quality of trade I've had over the years, I feel I could've used that many a time.