Access to land

Scottish Water provides water and waste water services throughout Scotland. We recognise that managing natural resources, delivering safe clean water to our customers and returning it to the environment is a major contribution to the communities we serve.

In our day to day activities it is sometimes necessary to access private and public land.

To enable us to carry out necessary works Scottish Water is granted certain powers and duties under the Water (Scotland) Act 1980 and the Sewerage (Scotland) Act 1968.

The Code of Conduct on Access to Land (pdf) aims to explain our powers and duties when we have to lay pipes and carry out work on pipes and related services on private (and publicly owned) land.

Scottish Water and all contractors working on behalf of Scottish Water must follow this code of conduct when accessing land.

The code explains to landowners and property owners and their agents or representatives what they can expect before and during any works on their land.

Before we start any pipe laying work we’ll consult with landowners and property owners on various issues, from any environmental impact to the type of engineering work we employ.

We’ll work together to fully plan, design and carry out any necessary works.