On 2009-08-31 18:16:16 +0100, John said:

Thanks for all your suggestions.
I might start with the water company, then the dye (if they agree)

The dye is a good idea. I did it in the garden I had previously. It
all had to do with culverts under the road, who was responsible for
flooding in the lane, a stream under my garden in a collapsed culvert
etc. By putting dye into the stream at the mill cottage which was
placed before the stream crossed that lane and watching water flow into
the exposed culvert under my lawn, I was able to show that the problem
was that of the Council, not mine. They'd diverted the stream into
culverts under the lane, not made a map of it (years before) and were
trying to make me responsible for thousands of pounds worth of work as
a 'riparian owner'! Luckily, one of the elder statesmen of the
village who remembered the culvert being built, did some gardening work
for me and told the man from the Council exactly what was going on
under the tarmac of the lane. I may say, that the Council tried it on
with the people who bought my house and because of the detail I was
able to give the new owners, the Council got very short shrift from
them.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon