Environmental Policy

1.Our commitment

Drains lead to rivers. Everything we clear, flush or dig up has to go somewhere, so Urgent Drainage Solutions Ltd is committed to doing drainage work in a way that prevents pollution, reduces waste and cuts unnecessary travel — and to meeting all the environmental laws that apply to our work.

2.Waste and our duty of care

• We follow the waste duty of care: waste from our jobs — such as silt, debris, broken pipe and excavated spoil — is stored safely, described correctly and only passed to people who are authorised to take it.
• Anyone who carries waste as part of their business must be registered with the Environment Agency. We check the registration of any contractor who removes waste for us, using the public register.
• Liquid waste and sludge that needs tankering goes to permitted treatment sites through licensed contractors.
• Clean spoil is reused on site where it’s suitable, and inert materials are sent for recycling rather than landfill wherever possible.

3.Preventing pollution

• Surface-water drains and road gullies often run straight to streams and rivers, so we never wash contaminated water, sewage, silt or chemicals into them.
• When we jet or clear a foul drain, the debris goes down the foul system to the treatment works or is collected — not onto gardens or roads.
• We carry spill kits and deal with any spill straight away.
• If we see pollution in a river or stream, we report it to the Environment Agency incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 — and we encourage everyone to do the same.

4.Fat, oil and grease (FOG)

Fat, oil and grease poured down sinks is one of the main causes of blocked drains and sewer “fatbergs”. We remove grease build-up from drains and advise kitchens on grease traps and good practice, and waste grease from traps is taken away by licensed contractors rather than washed into the sewer.

Read our guide to keeping your kitchen sink clear of fat, oil and grease, and see our commercial drainage services for restaurants and takeaways.

5.Water and chemicals

• High-pressure jetting uses water, so we choose the lowest pressure and flow that will do the job and never leave hoses running.
• We use mechanical methods first and only use chemicals when they are genuinely needed, choosing the least harmful product that will work.
• Relining resins and other materials are stored, mixed and used in line with the manufacturer’s instructions and safety data sheets.

6.No-dig repairs

Where a damaged drain is suitable, we recommend no-dig relining or patch repairs instead of digging it up. Relining usually means far less excavation, fewer skips and lorry trips, and less disturbance to gardens, driveways and trees. When excavation is the right answer, we keep the dig as small as practical.

7.Travel and vehicles

• We plan our diary by area to reduce mileage between jobs across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire.
• Vehicles are serviced regularly, and we avoid leaving engines idling on site.
• We will consider lower-emission vehicles and equipment when we replace them.

8.Paperless working

Bookings, confirmations, quotes, CCTV reports and receipts are sent digitally and kept in your customer account, so we print very little.

9.Helping customers prevent problems

Many blockages are avoidable. We explain what caused yours and how to stop it happening again — only flush the 3 Ps (pee, paper and poo), bin wipes and cooking fat, and keep gutters and gullies clear. Our guide to what not to flush and planned maintenance help prevent repeat call-outs.

10.Review

We review this policy at least once a year and whenever our services or the law change. Ideas for how we can do better are always welcome — contact us using the details on this page.