Land Drainage Act 1976
1976 c.70
An Act to consolidate certain enactments relating to land drainage.
[15th November 1976]
Part I Introductory
 Water authorities
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1—3. 

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4, 5. 

 Internal drainage boards
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6, 7. 

 Main rivers and their control
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8, 9. 

 Transfers of functions and reorganisation of internal drainage districts
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10—13. 

 Review of boundaries, supervision and exercise of functions in default
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14—16. 

Part II Powers of Drainage Authorities
 Carrying out drainage works, etc.
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17—19. 

 Drainage works concerning more than one drainage authority
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20 

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21 

 Arrangements with other persons and powers as respects the obligations and rights of other persons
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22—27. 

 Control of obstructions in and structures in, over or under watercourses
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28, 29. 

 Schemes for drainage of small areas
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30, 31. 

 Flood warning systems
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32 

 Incidental powers
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33—39. 

Part III Restoration and Improvement of Ditches
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40—44. 

Part IV Raising of Revenue by Drainage Authorities
 Power of water authorities to require payment of their land drainage expenses by local authorities
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45—47. 

 Power of water authorities to raise drainage charges
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48— 51. 

 Supplementary provisions as to drainage charges
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52— 61. 

 Alternative basis for financing drainage expenses of water authorities
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62 

 Power of internal drainage boards to raise drainage rates
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63, 64. 

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65, 66. 

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67—69. 

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70 

 Supplementary provisions as to drainage rates
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71, 72. 

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73 

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74—79. 


80 

(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
(2)—(4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
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81 

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82, 83. 

 Miscellaneous revenue-raising powers
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84—88. 

 Interpretation of Part IV
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89 

Part V Powers of the Minister and Local Authorities
 Powers of the Minister
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90—96. 

 Powers of local authorities
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97—100. 

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101 

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102—104A. 

Part VI Miscellaneous and General
 Provisions relating to London.
105 
Schedule 5 to this Act, which contains provisions relating to London, shall have effect.
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106—115. 

 Interpretation.
116 

(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—
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 “drainage” includes defence against water (including sea water), irrigation, other than spray irrigation, and warping;
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 “land” includes water and any interests in land or water and any easement or right in, to, or over land or water;
 “land drainage” means the drainage of land and the provision of flood warning systems, and “land drainage functions” shall be construed accordingly;
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 [“London excluded area” means so much of Greater London and of any area adjoining Greater London as did not on 31st March 1986 lie, for the purpose of the exercise of land drainage functions, within the area of any water authority;]
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(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
 Transitional provisions, consequential amendments, repeals and saving.
117 

(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
(2) The enactments mentioned in Schedule 7 to this Act shall in consequence of this Act, be amended as there provided.
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(4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
 Short title, commencement and extent.
118 

(1) This Act may be cited as the Land Drainage Act 1976.
(2) This Act shall come into force immediately after the coming into force of the Land Drainage (Amendment) Act 1976.
(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , this Act extends to England and Wales only.
 SCHEDULES
SCHEDULE 1-4
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SCHEDULE 5
 Provisions Relating to London
Section 105.
 Interpretation
1 

(1) In this Act, subject to any order under sub-paragraph (2) below, “the metropolitan watercourses” means—
(a) so much of the river Thames as lies within the London excluded area, including all its associated watercourses within the flow and re-flow of its tides in that area;
(b) the watercourses shown marked in red on the signed plan as defined in and for the purposes of Part II (Alteration of Kent River Authority area and London excluded area) of the Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1968;
(c) the river Ravensbourne, the Chaffinch Brook, the Beck River, the Pool River, the Quaggy River, the Kid Brook, the Kyd Brook and the Lower Kid Brook, and their associated watercourses;
(d) the Beverley Brook, the river Graveney, the Pyl Brook and the river Wandle, and their associated watercourses;
(e) the river Brent, the river Crane and the Duke of Northumberland’s river, and their associated watercourses;
(f) any watercourse that immediately before the commencement of this Act was a metropolitan watercourse by virtue of an order under paragraph 15(2) of Schedule 14 to the London Government Act 1963;
and . . . (2) The Secretary of State may, after consultation with . . .  the council of any district or London borough appearing to him to be affected, by order provide that—
(a) the whole or any part of a watercourse within the London excluded area shall become a metropolitan watercourse; or
(b) the whole or any part of a watercourse other than the tidal Thames shall cease to be a metropolitan watercourse; or
(c) the whole or any part of a metropolitan watercourse shall become or cease to be a main metropolitan watercourse;
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (3) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any enactment or instrument, no part of any of the metropolitan watercourses shall be or form part of a public sewer.
2 
In this Schedule—
 “associated watercourse”, in relation to any river, means a tributary or other watercourse the water from which ultimately flows into, or which is directly or indirectly connected with, that river;
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 “flood works”, in relation to the tidal Thames, has the same meaning as in the local enactments relating thereto;
 “the former county of London” means the area constituted by the county of London as it existed immediately before the passing of the London Government Act 1963 (under which the said county ceased to exist);
 “local enactment” means—
(a) in relation to any watercourse falling within paragraph 1(1)(a) above, the Thames River (Prevention of Floods) Acts 1879 to 1962 and section 14 of the London County Council (General Powers) Act 1932;
(b)-(f) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
 “the tidal Thames” means the watercourses falling within paragraph 1(1)(a) above;
 “watercourse” includes all rivers and streams and all ditches, drains, cuts, culverts, dykes, sluices, sewers and passages through which water flows;
 and any mention of a particular river shall not be construed as prejudicing the meaning of the expression “associated watercourse”.
 General provision with respect to the London excluded area
3 

(1), (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (3) Part III of the Surrey County Council Act 1925 shall not apply to any area outside the London excluded area.
 Functions of the Greater London Council with respect to the metropolitan watercourses
4 

(1) Subject to paragraph 6 below, and to any provision made by an order under section 84 or 87 of the London Government Act 1963—
(a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
(b) the local enactments relating to so much of the tidal Thames as lies within the former county of London shall apply to the whole of the tidal Thames (as defined for the purposes of this Schedule), and in those enactments references to, or which are to be taken as references to, the county of London shall be construed as references to the London excluded area;
(c) no functions relating to the drainage of land, flood prevention and the like matters shall (subject to paragraph 6 below) be exercisable with respect to the tidal Thames by any authority under any local statutory provisions other than the enactments mentioned in sub-paragraph (b) above.(2) In sub-paragraph (1)(c) above “local statutory provisions” means provisions of a local Act (including an Act confirming a provisional order) or provisions of a public general Act passed with respect only to the whole or part of the former county of London or provisions of an instrument made under any such local or public general Act or of an instrument in the nature of a local enactment made under any other Act.
5 
Subject to section 21 of the Metropolis Management (Thames River Prevention of Floods) Amendment Act 1879 the power of the Thames Water Authority under the said Act of 1879 and the other enactments relating to the tidal Thames to approve, require the execution of and execute flood works for the protection of land from flooding by the river Thames in the London excluded area shall be exercisable by them for the protection of land from flooding by such of the river’s associated watercourses as immediately before 1st April 1974 lay within the flow and re-flow of its tides in the Lee catchment area.
6 
Paragraph 4 . . . (b) above and so much of paragraph 2 above as relates to paragraph 4 . . . (b) above shall not be construed as extending or restricting the application of any of the local enactments relating to the tidal Thames to property for the time being held for the purposes of their undertaking by the Port of London Authority or as extending or restricting the functions of that Authority.
 General provision with respect to the Greater London Council and the Thames Water Authority
7 
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8—11. 
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SCHEDULE 6
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SCHEDULE 7
 CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS
Section 117(2).
 The Water Act 1973
1 
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 Other Acts
2 
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3 
In paragraph 1(3) of Part III of Schedule 9 to the  London Government Act 1963 for “Section 31(2) of the Land Drainage Act 1930” substitute “Section 29(1) of the Land Drainage Act 1976”.
4 
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5 
In section 3(9) of the  New Forest Act 1964 for “any drainage authority as defined by the Land Drainage Act 1930” substitute “any drainage body as defined by the Land Drainage Act 1976”.
6 
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7 
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8 
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SCHEDULE 8
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