Piped watercourses and culverts

Generally speaking these are the responsibility of the landowner (riparian owner). Where a watercourse or a ditch in a highway has been piped it remains the responsibility of adjoining landowners unless the piping was at the request of the highway authority in order to make the highway wider, safer or more convenient.

In that situation the highway authority would need the consent of the ditch owner(s) and evidence of this consent would be evidence of the highway authority's liability. This applies equally to pipes, whether they cross a highway or run along it. The same duties, responsibilities and rights exist for piped watercourses and culverts as for ditches.

More information on water course responsibilities and the County Council's role in regulating these systems can be found in our Flood Risk Management web pages.