Self-lay legislation
If a development requires a new water main or sewer, the developer may ask the water or sewerage company to install the pipework. Alternatively, they may choose their own contractor to do the work, which is known as self-lay.
The Water Industry Act 1991 sets out a framework for water companies to enter into agreements with developers constructing or proposing to construct new water mains and service pipes for domestic purposes.
Broadly speaking, the legal provisions are as follows.
- If a Self-Lay Organisation constructs certain pipes in accordance with an agreement made under section 51A of WIA91, the water company has to connect them to the existing network and adopt them.
- Once the water company has adopted mains in accordance with an agreement, the company will make a payment to the party it entered into agreement with. This is an allowance for the revenue that the water company expects to receive from the customers of the newly-connected main.
We can determine disputes about the terms and conditions of self-lay agreements and water companies’ refusals to adopt self-laid pipes supplying water for domestic purposes.
