The right contact depends on where the water is coming from — and it may not be the council.

It starts with a puddle. Then the puddle becomes a small lake, and before long you're wondering whether you need wellies just to reach the car.

Somewhere in Peterborough, a blocked drain is probably causing exactly that sort of frustration.

You might assume the council is the obvious place to call.

Sometimes it is. But depending on where the water is coming from, the responsibility could belong to Anglian Water, National Highways or even the property owner.

And when water is creeping towards your front door, being passed between departments is probably the last thing you need.

So who do you actually call?

The road is turning into a paddling pool

You know the sort of puddle. The one that starts beside the kerb and gradually takes over half the road.

Cars slow down, pedestrians reconsider their footwear and somebody inevitably drives through it a little too enthusiastically.

If a blocked drain or gully is causing trouble on an adopted public road in Peterborough, Peterborough City Council is generally the place to start.

You can report it through the council's online reporting service. Enter the street name or postcode, describe the problem and add a photograph if you can take one safely.

Alternatively, call 01733 747474.

There is one important exception worth remembering.

The A1 and A47 are generally managed by National Highways, rather than the council's usual highway drainage service.

If the problem is on either of those roads, report it to National Highways.

And please don't venture into a flooded road to investigate a drain. What looks like a shallow puddle from the pavement may be rather less inviting once you're standing in it.

When the problem is coming back up the drain

A puddle in the street is one thing. Wastewater backing up through a drain or spilling from a manhole is quite another.

If the problem involves a public sewer, Anglian Water is generally responsible.

You can contact Anglian Water or telephone 03457 145 145, available 24 hours a day.

The difficulty is that a blocked sewer and a blocked road drain can look remarkably similar when you're standing several feet away.

The useful distinction is where the water is coming from.

Road drainage generally falls under the highway authority, while public sewers belong to the water company.

If you're unsure, explain what you can see rather than trying to diagnose the underground plumbing yourself.

Nobody expects you to arrive with a drainage survey and a pair of overalls.

And if sewage is involved, keep children and pets away from the affected water.

When the trouble is closer to home

Perhaps the water isn't in the street at all.

Maybe the kitchen sink is refusing to empty, the outside drain is overflowing or the downstairs loo has decided to make life unnecessarily interesting.

In those circumstances, the problem may be with a private drain.

A blockage in a drain serving only your property is generally the homeowner's responsibility.

If you're renting, contact your landlord or letting agent.

Homeowners may need an independent drain-clearing company, but it's worth establishing where the blockage is before paying for work.

That's because a drain or manhole near your property isn't automatically private.

Some pipes and shared drains form part of the public sewer network, even when they're beneath private land.

If you're unsure, describe the symptoms and location to Anglian Water first.

The last thing anyone wants is to pay somebody to clear a blockage that turns out to be somebody else's responsibility.

When it's more than a blocked drain

Peterborough has its fair share of waterways, and not every flooding problem begins beneath a pavement.

If the water is coming from a main river, or there's a suspected pollution incident, the Environment Agency may be the appropriate organisation.

Smaller watercourses and ditches can involve different responsibilities, including landowners and local authorities, so ownership matters.

The government's flooding guidance helps identify which organisation to contact.

The important thing is not to assume that every stretch of water is the council's responsibility.

And if flooding is creating an immediate danger to life or safety, call 999. Don't wait for somebody to respond to an online form.

A few details can save a lot of chasing

Whichever organisation you contact, a little information makes the report more useful.

Give the precise location, explain what's happening and mention whether homes, pedestrians or traffic are affected.

A nearby landmark or house number can help, particularly when several drains run along the same road.

A photograph is useful too, provided you can take it without putting yourself at risk.

You don't need to work out exactly what's happening underground.

You just need to give the right people enough information to investigate.

And if the first organisation tells you the problem belongs elsewhere, ask who is responsible and how best to contact them.

That's considerably more useful than starting the same conversation all over again.

Has Peterborough given you the runaround?

Sometimes the most frustrating part of a drainage problem isn't the water. It's finding somebody who will take responsibility for it.

Have you reported a blocked drain or flooding problem in Peterborough and found yourself being passed from one organisation to another?

Tell us what happened in the comments, particularly if you've discovered a reporting route that worked.

We'd be interested to hear about the local trouble spots that keep causing problems.Comment below ...

They might just deserve a Spotlight investigation of their own.