Drainage FAQs

The quickest way is to book online: pick the job, add your address, take the earliest arrival window and leave your name and number — it takes under a minute. You can also call us on 07300 600 950; we answer 6am to 8pm, seven days a week.

No. There is never a call-out fee — you pay for the work, not for us turning up, and the price is agreed with you before any work starts.

Our drain unblocking starts from £95 + VAT. The final price depends on where the blockage is, how easy it is to reach and whether rods are enough or the drain needs high-pressure jetting — we confirm it before we start. Current prices for every service are on our prices page.

Our prices are shown plus VAT, so the VAT is added to the figure you see on your invoice. We always tell you the total before any work begins.

Yes. For straightforward jobs such as unblocking or gutter cleaning we confirm the price when you book. For repairs, relining and groundworks we inspect the drain first, give you a written quote, and don't start until you've agreed it.

Often, yes. We offer same-day appointments seven days a week, subject to availability. Book online to see the arrival windows we have left today, or call 07300 600 950 for the earliest available engineer.

Most blockages are caused by things that shouldn't go down the drain: wet wipes, sanitary products, cooking fat, oil and grease, food waste and hair. Outside, leaves and silt build up in gullies, and in older clay pipes tree roots can grow in through cracked or displaced joints.

The usual warning signs are water draining slowly from sinks, baths or showers, gurgling from plugholes, bad smells from drains or gullies, a toilet that rises or won't flush away, and water pooling around an outside drain or manhole.

It is if sewage is backing up into your home, a manhole is overflowing, or you have no working toilet. In that case stop using water and call 07300 600 950 — we offer emergency call-outs 365 days a year. A slow sink can usually wait for the next available appointment.

Only flush the 3 Ps — pee, paper and poo. Water UK says wet wipes cause the vast majority of sewer blockages, and it ended its "Fine to Flush" certification in March 2024, so bin every wipe. Plastic wet wipes will be banned from sale in England from 19 May 2027. Let cooking fat cool and put it in the bin rather than the sink.

Shop-bought products can help with minor build-up in a sink trap, but they rarely shift a blockage further down the pipe. Never mix products, keep children and pets away, and tell our engineer if you've used one so they can work safely.

A drain that blocks again and again usually has an underlying defect — a displaced joint, a sag in the pipe, root ingress or a partial collapse — that catches waste. A CCTV drain survey shows the cause so it can be repaired properly, rather than cleared repeatedly.

A CCTV drain survey is an inspection of your underground pipes with a waterproof camera, pushed or driven along the drain from an access point. It records the pipe's condition — cracks, displaced joints, roots, blockages and collapses — without any digging.

Our current CCTV survey prices are listed on our prices page. The price depends on the length of drain, how many access points there are and whether you need a full written report, and we confirm it before we start.

It's strongly worth considering, especially for older homes, properties with mature trees or extensions, or a history of blockages. A standard building survey rarely puts a camera through the pipes, so a homebuyer drain survey is the way to find costly defects before you exchange.

Our reports include a plan of the drain runs, the recorded footage, still images of each defect, observations coded to the industry's WRc standard and plain-English recommendations, so you, your insurer or your solicitor can see exactly what was found.

Often, yes. If you're building within 3 metres of a public sewer, Severn Trent lets some simple extensions self-certify, but a formal build-over agreement needs plans and a CCTV survey of the sewer. Check with your water company early in the project — we can carry out the survey.

Common signs are blockages that keep coming back, sewage smells outside, damp patches on walls, sunken or soft ground over the drain run, and rats around the property. A CCTV survey confirms the exact defect and where it is before any repair is quoted.

Drain relining is a no-dig repair: a resin-soaked liner is inserted into the existing pipe and cured in place, forming a new, jointless pipe inside the old one. It seals cracks, open joints and root entry points without digging up your garden or driveway.

Excavation is usually needed when a section has fully collapsed, is badly deformed, or has sunk so the water no longer flows properly. In those cases we dig down, replace the damaged length and reinstate the ground.

Our repairs are guaranteed for 12 months — that covers drain lining, patch repairs and pipe replacement. Unblocking is charged as a one-off visit, because a drain that has wipes or fat put down it can block again however well it was cleared.

Pitch fibre pipes are made from wood cellulose impregnated with tar and were widely laid in the 1950s to 1970s. With age they can deform into an oval shape and blister, which causes blockages. They can often be re-rounded and relined, but check your insurance — many policies exclude pitch fibre.

Most like-for-like repairs don't. New drainage, new connections and extensions to a drainage system are controlled work under Approved Document H and normally need building control approval. We'll tell you if your job falls into that category.

In England, you're responsible for the drain pipes that serve only your property and sit within your boundary. Pipes shared with a neighbour, and pipes beyond your boundary, have been the water company's responsibility since 1 October 2011. Road gullies belong to the county or city council.

Severn Trent covers most of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire (report sewer blockages 24/7 on 0800 783 4444). Anglian Water covers most of Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire Water covers the Chesterfield area. If you're not sure where the blockage is, our engineer can check and tell you who is responsible.

Usually not. Shared private sewers that connected to the public sewer before 1 July 2011 transferred to the water companies on 1 October 2011, even where they run under your land. Pipes on newer developments may stay private until they are adopted.

Often. The Financial Ombudsman Service says most buildings insurance covers damage to the underground pipes you're responsible for, but wear and tear and gradual damage are common exclusions, and many policies exclude pitch fibre pipes. Tell your insurer before repairs start, and keep photos and a written report.

Yes. Our survey report includes footage, photos of each defect with its position along the pipe, and our repair recommendation — the evidence insurers and loss adjusters usually ask for.

At least once a year, and ideally twice — in late spring and again in autumn once most leaves have fallen. Homes with overhanging trees may need more frequent visits.

Yes. As well as clearing gutters and flushing downpipes, we reseal leaking joints, refit loose brackets and replace damaged sections. See gutter cleaning and repairs.

We pressure clean block paving and tarmac driveways, stone and slab patios, paths, steps, walls and commercial yards, removing moss, algae and ingrained dirt — and we clear the run-off from nearby drains and gullies.

Yes. Rats live in the sewer network and can get into homes through cracked pipes, open joints and old, uncapped connections. The British Pest Control Association says most rat infestations inside homes start in the drainage, which is why a drain survey is the first step.

We survey the drains with a camera to find the entry point, repair or reline the defect, cap any redundant pipes and, where it helps, fit a rat blocker — a one-way valve that lets waste out but stops rats coming back in. See rats in drains.

We're based in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, and cover Nottingham and the whole of Nottinghamshire, plus Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire. See all the areas we cover.

We're open 6am to 8pm, seven days a week, and we offer emergency call-outs 365 days a year. Call 07300 600 950 or book online at any time.

Yes. We work seven days a week, and emergency call-outs are available 365 days a year, including weekends and bank holidays.

Stop running water into the blocked drain — don't flush, and pause the washing machine and dishwasher. Keep children and pets away from any overflowing water, don't try to lift heavy manhole covers yourself, and take photos in case you need them for an insurance claim.

Yes. We work for landlords, letting agents, property managers, restaurants, schools and other businesses, with reactive call-outs and planned maintenance. See commercial drainage.