Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support is available to help homeowners with private sewage systems to meet environmental standards.

In some cases involving more than one property, and where the other qualifying criteria set out in the legislation and associated Ministerial guidance are met, the relevant sewerage undertaker may have a duty to provide and pay for a new public sewer to serve those properties under s101A, Water Industry Act 1991. There is no other financial help available nationally, either through the Environment Agency or directly from the Government, for improvements needed to comply with the requirements of the Environmental Permitting Regulations relating to private sewerage systems. Recognising the costs involved, the EA seek to agree a reasonable timescale for improvements to be made with the owner of the affected property, usually within 1 year, although this may be agreed on a case-by-case basis. There are some local schemes in place which offer support for the replacement of existing private sewerage systems in certain circumstances however, such as through United Utilities’ bespoke performance commitment relating to private sewerage systems around Windermere.