In January 2015, new rules were put in place to simplify the regulations for septic tanks or small sewage treatment plant.
General binding rules set the conditions that septic tanks and treatment plants will need to meet in order for them to be used without an environmental permit. You will need an environment permit if:
You cannot meet the binding rules
OR
You live in or near sensitive areas described in the Environment Agency’s designated sensitive areas list for small sewage discharges.
Residents of Littleton may be concerned about this regulation but in most cases little needs to change as long as you are maintaining your sewage system regularly and not discharging more than 2,000 litres of sewerage then you should not need a permit. However the Parish Council urges residents to satisfy themselves that their own system complies with the new regulations and “General Binding Rules” by reviewing the following documents from the Environment Agency:-
Leaflet: Your sewage – Your environment
See Permits you need for Septic Tanks which also includes a link to a calculator for working out how much sewage you are discharging.
See Small sewage discharges in England: general binding rules for details of the general binding rules.
See also General binding rules: small sewage discharge to a surface water