Changes to your plumbing
If you plan on installing or altering your plumbing system, you may have to let us know before work begins.
Types of work you must notify us about
You must notify us if the work you are planning includes:
- building a house or other property/structure
- a bidet with an upward spray or flexible hose
- a water treatment unit that produces wastewater
- a reduced pressure zone (RPZ) valve assembly or similar
- a reverse osmosis unit for cleaning water
- a pump or booster delivering more than 12 litres of water per minute
- any water system outside a building that is either less than 750mm or more than 1,350mm below ground
- a bath which holds more than 230 litres of water
- a garden watering system (unless operated by hand)
- installing a swimming pool or pond over 10,000 litres
- changing the use of a building or installing systems such as rainwater harvesting
- extending or altering the water system on a non-household building.
How to notify us
If the work involves any of the above you can tell us by completing our regulation 5 notification form.
To return the form, please email it to Regulation5.Notification@wessexwater.co.uk or by post to Wessex Water, Regulation 5, Developer Services, Claverton Down, Claverton, Bath, BA2 7WW
Granting consent for your plans
We don't charge for granting consent, but work cannot start until consent has been given.
The consent letter may contain certain conditions regarding the plumbing arrangements, so it is important to keep a copy for the plumber carrying out the work.
Failure to comply with the regulations regarding new installations could mean the water supply is withdrawn.
Consent will not be withheld unreasonably and may be granted subject to conditions which must be followed.
Under the regulations, if consent is not given within 10 working days it is assumed to have been granted. This does not relieve the plumber or person receiving consent the obligation to see that the regulations are met in full.
When don’t you have to notify us?
Depending on the work involved, you may not have to notify us before work starts if you are using an approved plumber. They will send us a copy of the certificate to confirm their work meets the regulations.
If breaches of the regulation are found in the certified work, the legal responsibility falls on the approved plumber and not on you.