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Sewers for adoption

Guidelines overview

Sewers for Adoption (7th edition) contains guidance for the design and construction of sewers that will be adopted by Sewerage Undertakers in England and Wales in accordance with Section 104 of the Water Industry Act 1991.

  • Manhole covers for chamber access should have a minimum clear opening of 600mm x 600mm
  • In all New Roads and Street Works Act (NRSWA) road categories I, II, III and IV, frame depths should be 150mm minimum, including in block paving areas. Only in residential cul-de-sacs can the frame depth be reduced to 100mm minimum
  • Manhole covers shall comply with BS EN124, BS7903 and HA104/09*. BS EN124:2015-2 is the default standard. It is recommended that the KM certificate is requested to ensure products conform to this latest standard
  • B125 load category products are required in footways, pedestrian areas, driveways serving a single house and comparable locations. A15 grades are not permissible
  • The minimum class of manhole covers for carriageways is D400. E600 or above should be used where large numbers of HGV movements are expected
  • Manhole covers situated in NRSWA road categories I, II or III should be installed using Highways England DMRB HA104/09* compliant bedding mortar, i.e Unipak polyester resin mortar or similar
  • Manhole covers sited on foul-only sewers shall be of low leak type only. WRC defines low leak covers as those that permit a maximum of 400lm2 / 30mins. More restrictive classes exist
  • Manhole covers shall be non-ventilated with closed keyways
  • Manhole covers shall not use cushioning inserts (rubber or the like)
  • Infill type covers should not be used

New Roads and Street Works Act (NRSWA) road categories

New Roads and Street Works Act (NRSWA) road categories may be simplified to:
Type 1 Trunk roads and dual carriageways
Type 2 All other A roads
Type 3 Bus lanes and services
Type 4 All other roads except residential cul-de-sacs

 

Selection guide

Sewers for Adoption (The Code) contains guidance for the design and construction of sewers that will be adopted by Sewerage Undertakers in England and Wales in accordance with Section 104 of the Water Industry Act 1991.

When buying, it's important to consider Sewers for Adoption as it may impact the choice of manhole cover, based on requirements in the standard.

Is the manhole cover..

  • for an adoptable sewer or
  • requires CD534 compliance or
  • for use in a motorway or all-purpose trunk road?

 

YES NO
Did you know manhole covers installed for an adoptable sewer should be compliant with 'Sewers for Adoption' (The Code)? We would recommend the use of a Highway manhole cover We would recommend the use of a Tristar manhole cover.
CD534 v0.1.0 compliant BSi Kitemarked to BS EN 124:2015
E600, D400 load class variant available Safety Keyway
Asset identification badge option BS7903 flange gussets
SfA compliance with the use of Unipak bedding mortar Armadillo and Clicklift compatible
+ all the features of Tristar listed to the right Low wear seats

Product comparison

  Yes No
BSi Kitemarked to BS EN 124:2015 ✔ ✔
Safety Keyway ✔ ✔
BS7903 flange gussets ✔ ✔
Armadillo and Clicklift compatible ✔ ✔
Low wear seats ✔ ✔
CD534 v0.1.0 compliant ✔  
E600, D400 load class variant available ✔  
Asset identification badge option ✔  
SfA compliance with the use of Unipak bedding mortar ✔  
Recommended cover range Highway Tristar

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