Sewerage (Scotland) Act 1968

12 Rights of owners and occupiers to connect with and drain into public sewers etc. S

(1) Subject to the provisions of this section and of section 14 below, the owner of any premises within the area of a local authority shall be entitled to connect his drains or private sewers with the sewers or sewage treatment works of that authority, and the occupier of any such premises shall be entitled by means of those drains or private sewers to drain into those sewers or works the domestic sewage and surface water from those premises.

(2) An owner shall not, under the foregoing subsection, be entitled to connect his drains or sewers with the sewers or works of an authority unless the intervening land is land through which the owner is entitled to construct a drain or sewer.

(3) The owner of any premises who proposes to connect his drains or sewers with the sewers or works of a local authority, or to alter a drain or sewer connected with such sewer or works in such a manner as may interfere with them, shall give to the authority notice of his proposals, and within 28 days of the receipt by them of the notice the authority may refuse permission for the connection or alteration, or grant permission for the connection or alteration, subject to such conditions as they think fit, and any such permission may in particular specify the mode and point of connection and, where there are separate public sewers for foul water and surface water, prohibit the discharge of foul water into the sewer reserved for surface water, and prohibit the discharge of surface water into the sewer reserved for foul water.

(4) A local authority shall forthwith intimate to the owner their decision on any proposals made by him under subsection (3) above, and, where permission is refused, or granted subject to conditions, shall inform him of the reasons for their decision and of his right of appeal under subsection (5) below.

(5) If a person to whom a decision has been given under subsection (4) above is aggrieved by the decision or any conditions attached thereto, he may appeal to the Secretary of State who may confirm the decision and any such conditions either with or without modification or refuse to confirm it.

(6) Where permission has been granted as mentioned in subsection (3) above or by virtue of subsection (5) above, the person to whom it was granted shall, before commencing any work in pursuance of that permission, give not less than 3 days’ notice to the local authority who granted it so as to enable them to supervise the execution of the work, and shall afford them all reasonable facilities for so doing.

(7) Where any work to be done in pursuance of a permission granted under subsection (3) above or by virtue of subsection (5) above involves the breaking open of a [F1 road], the local authority who granted the permission may undertake the work in the [F1 road] and may recover the expenses reasonably incurred by them in so doing from the person for whom the work was done.

(8) Any person who connects a drain or sewer to the sewers or works of a local authority or alters a drain or sewer without permission granted under this section, or contrary to any conditions attached thereto, shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding [F2 £20,000] , and the local authority may, whether or not proceedings have been taken under this subsection, close, remove or remake any such unlawful connection, and recover from the offender any expenses reasonably incurred by them in so doing.

Textual Amendments

F1 Word substituted by Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 (c. 54, SIF 108), s. 156(1), Sch. 9 para. 64(3)

F2 Word in s. 12(8) substituted (1.10.1991) by virtue of Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991 (c. 28, SIF 46:1), s. 27(1), Sch. 10, para. 5(a);S.I. 1991/2187, art. 3,Sch.