Katiebob Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 (edited) We live in a very wet area. The private road at the front of our property regularly floods (lightly) and we have a drainage ditch which runs through our front garden and through the paddocks at the back out to the woods. As it's a private road, it's not a 'proper' water course and was put here by the previous owner (I believe) just to help drain the water. All the houses on our side of the road suffer with water running off the road to some extent. Our drainage ditch has been fine until about a week ago when we noticed that it was full - even though it's flowing properly. We've just spotted that our next door neighbour has put large kerbs outside his property and dug channels from the road onto our property so that it diverts all the water that would normally flow on to his property into our drainage ditch. Surely this can't be legal? I want to go and bop him one but it might be useful to know whether he has a legal right to do this before I do just that Incidentally, we don't have sewers around here (everyone has a cesspit which we pay to have emptied privately) so there's no possibility of getting the council to come along and put in a drain. The surface water isn't flowing into our cesspit but it is flooding our land. Do I have to put up with this? Edited April 22, 2008 by Katiebob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incapuppy Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 I'm sorry I have no advice but I can't believe your neighbour just went and did something like that. It wouldn't have been quite so bad if he had come round and discussed the possibility with you first. What a crafty barsteward I hope you can get it sorted out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supafrisk Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 (edited) Build a dam in the ditch on your side of the property Just to add, it might be easier if you could post a pic of it so peeps get a rough idea. Also, you taking pics might scare him into thinking you're taking legal action. If he asks, you could always say you are taking legal advice as, should you get flooded out, your insurers may attempt to sue him for the damage to your property. Edited April 22, 2008 by supafrisk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazydaisy Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 (edited) I dont have any experience of this type of problem, but from a common sense point of view I would not think he/she has the right to do this. Why dont you phone the local planning department to get some advice? Hope you can get it sorted and get rid of the extra water. I have just re-read your post and saw the part about the ditch he dug!! I would block it up pronto! Edited April 22, 2008 by lazydaisy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebob Posted April 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Build a dam in the ditch on your side of the property Great minds - I've got some ballast and I was just thinking about that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherlock Bones Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 No, its not legal and no he can't just dig channels onto your land: in fact if he touches your land he needs bopping. I think though that your access road is private and thus unless there is a management company who manages it there ain't anyone who can stop him doing anything on it.. or to it.. but if he did it on his land and into yours then that's different. Suggest a) a solicitor b) try negotiation c) expect a lengthy argument/court case to remedy (take the negotiation route if offered or you could lose out in court even if you don't agree anything) d) avoid a,b and c and do as supafrisk suggests, but i never told you that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supafrisk Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 No, its not legal and no he can't just dig channels onto your land: in fact if he touches your land he needs bopping. I think though that your access road is private and thus unless there is a management company who manages it there ain't anyone who can stop him doing anything on it.. or to it.. but if he did it on his land and into yours then that's different. Suggest a) a solicitor b) try negotiation c) expect a lengthy argument/court case to remedy (take the negotiation route if offered or you could lose out in court even if you don't agree anything) d) avoid a,b and c and do as supafrisk suggests, but i never told you that. *snigger* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebob Posted April 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 (edited) No, its not legal and no he can't just dig channels onto your land: in fact if he touches your land he needs bopping. I think though that your access road is private and thus unless there is a management company who manages it there ain't anyone who can stop him doing anything on it.. or to it.. but if he did it on his land and into yours then that's different. Suggest a) a solicitor b) try negotiation c) expect a lengthy argument/court case to remedy (take the negotiation route if offered or you could lose out in court even if you don't agree anything) d) avoid a,b and c and do as supafrisk suggests, but i never told you that. I was going to be a right bitch and make it totally obvious because if he can alter the road outside, so can I - so I was going to drop the ballast into the drainage channels he's dug SB - This is the same guy who flooded all our paddocks last year because he 'cleared' he drainage channels so that it flowed on to our land = and then came across and offered to clear our ditches and provided a 'solution' which cost us over £2K to get sorted out. I can't afford him and his cack handed methods Edited April 22, 2008 by Katiebob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherlock Bones Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 in your road i'd suggest your action depends on a) how much you want to get along with your neighbours b) whether your neighbours are of a particular "community" and c) if not, whether any of such community needs to have a swift word with them anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackmagic Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 When water was running off a local farmers field onto the road and flooding it, said farmer had to take action to prevent water from running off his land onto the road. I don't know if that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebob Posted April 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 in your road i'd suggest your action depends on a) how much you want to get along with your neighbours b) whether your neighbours are of a particular "community" and c) if not, whether any of such community needs to have a swift word with them anyway Sadly, this one isn't of that community, otherwise I think a swift word would solve it Now the airgun stuff, that's another matter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherlock Bones Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 If he's not, then those who are would, i'm sure, have a word anyway... that would scare me enough to dig a lake to take water away from your land!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirisox Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Are you on mains water or do you have a private water supply Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebob Posted April 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Are you on mains water or do you have a private water supply We're on mains water, just not mains drainage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirisox Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Ok, just checking he didn't have the potential to poison you all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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