Water and sewage companies have statutory powers to lay, inspect or maintain underground pipes across land that you might own. Their statutory rights over your land should be outlined in your purchase contract, but here’s our helpful insight…
Water Pipes – the Water Industry Act 1991
When water or sewage companies need to lay pipes or carry out maintenance, they have statutory powers under the Water Industry Act 1991. These powers allow companies to lay, inspect, maintain, and repair pipes to ensure water supply and sewage services across England and Wales.
For landowners, these powers can impact development plans and property values. Here’s what you need to know—and how Lawson West Solicitors can help.
Easements Explained
An easement may be expressly granted by Deed and provide confirmation of the routes agreed between you and the water company, therefore it is crucial to make sure that everything is described clearly and plans are in place.
Access to Private Land & Rights
Water or sewage companies have statutory powers by virtue of the Water Industry Act 1991 to access private land.
As a landowner it means you cannot prohibit a water or sewage company from entering your land to lay, inspect, maintain and repair, or alter any pipes on private land. Although these rights are not absolute and are subject to conditions, and reasonable notice periods.
How much notice must a water company provide?
A Water company must provide reasonable notice in writing, e.g. for laying pipes this is usually 3 months minimum (s159(5)).
The notice requirements under s159(5) Water Industry Act 1991 do not apply for works in an emergency or for specific purposes like laying or altering a service pipe.
How much compensation is given by a water or sewerage company?
The Water Industry Act 1991 requires water and sewerage companies to pay compensation for any loss or damage caused by their work.
The provisions relating to compensation are contained in Schedule 12.1 (2) of the Water Industry Act 1991.
Am I Entitled to Compensation?
To be entitled to compensation there must be a strong link between the works being carried out and the loss of business, and any loss must be more than that of general inconvenience.
The amount received, if any, will depend on factors such as its long-term impact, but will usually broadly cover the value of the land affected.
However, the compensation is often limited to the cost of moving the cables/pipes and would not compensate you for the often, considerable, increase in value of the land if it could be developed.
What is a ‘lift and shift’ provision? and Why is it important to include a ‘lift and shift’ provision?
Lift and Shift provisions enable the Grantor (landowner) to command the beneficiary of the easement to relocate the apparatus (like pipes or cables) to a new location on the land and offers greater flexibility for landowners to develop their land.
Lift and shift clauses should be drafted to clearly establish the circumstances under which the grantor can require the relocation of any easement routes, with a timescale, and an agreement as to who will bear the costs of the relocation works.
For the clause to be effective, it must clearly define the circumstances for relocation, provide for compensation to the easement holder, and specify who bears the costs and the timescale for the changes.
If the ‘lift & shift’ clause is triggered in the future, then it is important to remove the easement over the old route and re-register it at the Land Registry with the new route, to retain the provision for future generations.
How We Can Help Landowners
At Lawson West, our expert commercial property solicitors can advise you on the best course of action and how to overcome any obstacles as they arise, to reduce minimise disruption to you and your land.
We can help by putting you in contact with land agents or help you deal with any easement problems as constructively as possible.
Contact Us, selecting commercial property and real estate.
The Chancellor’s Autumn Budget has now been delivered, following an unusual start where key details were inadvertently published early by the Office for Budget Responsibility.
While much of the media coverage has centred on household finances, the consequences for employers are far-reaching. Businesses already contending with rising costs and economic uncertainty must now prepare for a new wave of challenges that will influence recruitment, workforce planning, and compliance throughout 2026.
Key Budget Measures Affecting Employers
National Minimum Wage Increase: From April 2026, the rate for workers aged 21+ will rise to £12.71 per hour, with similar uplifts for younger workers and apprentices. This will significantly impact payroll budgets, particularly in labour-intensive sectors.
National Insurance and Salary Sacrifice Changes: Employer NIC remains at 15%, but pension salary sacrifice will be capped at £2,000 from April 2029, reducing tax efficiency for benefits packages.
Frozen Tax Thresholds: Income tax and NIC thresholds will remain frozen until 2031, increasing fiscal drag and putting pressure on employers to raise wages to maintain net pay.
Why Employers Are Concerned
The combination of higher wage floors, unchanged NIC rates, and looming employment law reforms creates a perfect storm for businesses already operating on tight margins. Employers are pausing hiring decisions amid fears of further tax hikes and increased employment costs.
While retail and hospitality roles remain buoyant in the run-up to Christmas, sectors such as healthcare, consultancy, and marketing are seeing sharp declines in advertised positions. Many are exploring restructuring options, AI-driven efficiencies, and negotiated settlement agreements to manage costs and mitigate risk.
What Should Employers Do Now?
Review Workforce Strategy: Model the impact of wage increases and NIC on your cost base.
Prepare for legislative changes by updating HR policies and contracts; review benefits packages (especially pension salary sacrifice).
Communicate Early: Manage employee expectations around pay and benefits.
Seek Advice: Consider pragmatic solutions such as settlement agreements where restructuring is unavoidable.
At Lawson West Solicitors, our Employment Law team is ready to help employers navigate these changes and protect their business interests. If you are considering restructuring, redundancies, or need guidance on compliance, contact us today.
All eyes will be on Chancellor Rachel Reeves this week as we await confirmation of her plans to balance the books in this week’s Autumn Budget Statement.
There is a lot of economic uncertainly. So far, the economic growth promised by the Labour Government has proved elusive. The Chancellor is expected to implement a raft of measures and further tax hikes with the hope of bringing a well needed boost to the economy. If applied, further business taxation will hit struggling businesses even harder and, as many hang on to survive into 2026, they may consider reducing their workforce numbers even further as one option to secure future stability.
In addition to this groundswell of wariness, the Employment Rights Bill, which is still doing its ping-pong through the courts and is still awaiting Royal Accent on final amendments, is also making businesses cautious.
Against this perfect storm backdrop, it’s perhaps therefore not surprising that some recruitment agencies are reporting a pause in hiring during October and November with Adzuna reporting that the number of job vacancies have dropped below 800,000 in October for the first time since March 2021. The exception of this being roles in hospitality and retail which as ever remain buoyant during the run-up to Christmas. They report that vacancies fell in every part of the UK in October with the steepest monthly, and annual declines seen in Wales (-9.13% MoM; -15.34% YoY) and Scotland (-5.66% MoM; -10.72% YoY).
The October 2025 survey report by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation and KPMG, published on 14th November, highlighted that permanent vacancies continue to fall in the UK at a steeper rate than temporary roles. However, the downturn in permanent placements had eased for the fourth straight month, even so, recruiters frequently commented that employers were hesitant to commit to new hires amid a weaker economic climate and uncertainty over the upcoming government Budget.
The slump in healthcare roles is also reported to have eased slightly. However, as we recently reported that is likely to be short lived where plans for a restructure of some NHS services are underway and planned for implementation early next year.
December is typically a time when business take stock. They turn their mind to resource strategies and restructuring of services. Businesses are also looking at alternative ways to deliver services, with many exploring A.I. initiatives in the hope this will deliver more economical results and efficiencies.
Equally, employers and employees often seek more pragmatic resolutions to employment disputes, favouring a negotiated settlement over protracted and costly internal dispute resolution methods or litigation.
We await the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget Statement and, of course, will share our thoughts as to the impact this may have on business and in particular employment with you soon.
Lawson West Solicitors’ Employment Law Team
We have a team of experienced employment lawyers ready to help employers and individuals who find themselves facing redundancies through restructuring. We’re a Top Tier firm recognised in The Legal 500 for Employment expertise in the East Midlands, confident and experienced, and here to help.
