British Railways Act 1992

18 Use of sewers, etc., for removing water

(1) The Board may use for the discharge of any water pumped or found by them during the construction of the authorised works any available stream or watercourse, or any sewer or drain of a relevant authority, and for that purpose may lay down, take up and alter conduits, pipes and other works and may make any convenient connections with any such stream, watercourse, sewer or drain within the limits of deviation.

(2) The Board shall not—

(a) discharge any water into any sewer or drain vested in or under the control of a relevant authority except with the consent of that authority, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, and subject to such terms and conditions as that authority may reasonably impose; or

(b) make any opening into any such sewer or drain save in accordance with plans approved by, and under the superintendence (if given) of, the relevant authority in whom the sewer or drain shall be vested but approval of those plans by that authority shall not be unreasonably withheld.

(3) (a) Section 85 of the [1991 c. 57.] Water Resources Act 1991 shall apply to, or to the consequence of, a discharge under the powers of this section into any controlled waters within the meaning given by section 104 of that Act as if this section were not a local statutory provision for the purposes of section 88 (1) (f) of that Act.

(b) In the exercise of their powers under this section the Board shall not damage or interfere with the bed of any watercourse forming part of a main river or the banks thereof, within the meaning of section 113 of the Water Resources Act 1991.

(4) The Board shall take all such steps as may reasonably be required to secure that any water discharged by them under this section shall be as free as may be reasonably practicable from any gravel, soil or other solid substance or matter in suspension.

(5) Any difference arising between the Board and a relevant authority under this section shall be referred to and settled by arbitration.

(6) In this section“relevant authority” means a sewerage undertaker, the National Rivers Authority, an internal drainage board or a local authority.