Building a new home

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Message last updated - Monday 08^th June 2026

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Message last updated - Monday 08^th June 2026

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We understand that this is an exciting time for you and it maybe the first time you have applied for a water connection. Take a look at the information below to find out more.

How do I get a new water connection?

There is a water main in the road or footpath in most built up areas. It’s likely we will be able to connect your property to the nearest one.

If you live in a rural area, your nearest water main will probably be further away. This means we'll need to lay a longer service pipe running to your property.

Take a look at our water connections page which details the 5 step process to getting connected to our water network.

We've compiled some helpful information along with an indicative cost estimate on our water connections calculator page.

Please refer to our current Summary of Charges for the costs involved.

How do I get my house connected to a sewer?

There are different ways of connecting to the public sewer depending on your building project.

You may need:

A direct sewer connection if you want to connect directly to the public sewer.
An indirect sewer connection if you want to connect to an existing private drain that will then discharge into a public sewer.
A foul water sewer connection to take water from sinks, toilets, baths, showers, washing machines, dishwashers and other similar domestic appliances.
A surface water connection to take rainwater that runs off hard areas such as roofs, footpaths, driveways and highways.

Our drainage services section has all the information you need to know about how to connect to the sewerage system.

It is illegal to connect to the sewerage system without permission.

Once you're ready to make an application, register and log on to our online Customer Portal. Complete a 'Connection to the public sewer/adoption of a lateral drain' application form.

Are there laws I need to comply with?

The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 are legal requirements and exist to prevent water being contaminated or wasted.

They state how underground pipework and plumbing must be installed and maintained and require all fittings and materials to be of an appropriate quality and standard.

We’ll work with you to ensure your pipework meets regulations. Once you are compliant and have passed the inspections, we’ll connect your pipework to the network.

How and where to lay your pipework

We have put together some useful information on how and where to lay your pipework.

What size pipes do I need?

A standard home will be supplied by a pipe with an external diameter of either 25mm or 32mm depending on the number of internal fittings (such as toilets and washing machines).

Once we receive and process an application for a new or replacement water connection, your survey will state the size of pipework required/ Along with the material of pipe and where your tail pipe should be left at the property boundary.

What can affect how long it takes to get connected?

There are several factors beyond our control which can affect how long it takes to connect your water supply. These include:

Restrictions on our working hours
The need to gain relevant working permits such as traffic management or permissions from the Highways Authority or Network Rail
If private land is involved we need to notify the owner
If the water main we 're connecting you to, has non standard fittings
If we need to dig a trial hole to locate and/or determine the water main size and material
Other utilities companies working in the area
Emergency works

Take a look at our average water connection timescales.

Building more than one house?

If you're building several new houses on a site that is having a new road or access built into it, you might choose to install a new water main and/or put new main sewers into the site.

You can choose either to self-lay your new mains or get us to do it for you. New sewers into the site can be offered to us for adoption so we become responsible for them.

For more information, look at our page on Developing A New Site.

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