Congratulations on a fab website I have been reading thru the forums and it has given me a great insight into similar problems but not quite the full answers I need. I have discovered 3 inches of water beneath my floorboards and currently have a pump to drain it into main sewage drain in my own back garden. The soil is heavy clay and Winter months the bottom of my garden floods due to rise in the water table but does not reach the house. However it appears the water under the floor boards is coming through foundatiions at the front of my house which has a small lawn, then a public footpath and then a large area of council grassed area which is slightly above the level of my house. I have been in touch with my insurance company but having read the small print I doubt whether they will pay out for any work required as there is an exclusion for "gradual increase in water table". As the Council grassed area slopes towards my property I am assuming with natural drainage that all the water will graduate into my property. Is the local council responsible for drainage of landwater from their public areas? Do I have a legal right to demand they channel the water away from my property and pay for damage caused to my house foundations and for repair??
If not, then there is an inspection chamber in my neighbours front lawn - would it be possible to construct a drainaway from my garden into that??
My first priority is to prevent this happening again, so any advice on how to proceed would be very welcome, eg who to approach at the council, water board, or where to get a drainage engineer to visit the site.