Septic tanks and cesspools
In rural areas it is not uncommon for properties to be too remote to be connected to the mains drainage system. In these circumstances properties have to rely upon a private drainage system such as a cesspool or septic tank.
A cesspool is a sealed tank connected to a property by a series of drains. It collects the waste foul water from a property and when it is full it has to be emptied and the waste water taken away by tanker to a proper disposal point.
A septic tank is similarly connected to a property by a series of drains and it provides a very basic level of treatment of the foul waste. The septic tank collects the solid waste and allows the liquid waste to flow into a soakaway in the ground. Soakaways have to be carefully constructed to ensure that the liquid waste does not contaminate the surface of the ground, ditches or watercourses.
All new soakaways or improvements to existing soakaways require the prior consent of the
Environment Agency (opens in a new window) 
.
Responsibility for the regular emptying of private cesspools and septic tanks rests with the property owner. Contractors who provide this service can be found under 'septic tanks' or 'waste disposal services' in Yellow Pages.
