Drain Unblocking
Blocked drain clearance 24/7 — toilets, sinks, manholes and outdoor drains, cleared on the first visit in the vast majority of cases.
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Drain Repair, Patch Lining and CIPP Lining in Hertfordshire
What Drain Repair Actually Is
Drain repair is fixing the pipe. A crack, a hole, a displaced joint, pitch fibre that is delaminating, or a gully that has dropped at the side of the house — the job is to put the drain back so it holds water, not to clear a blockage and leave. That is the work people mean when they search for drain repair, patch lining, CIPP lining, drain relining or a no-dig drain repair in Hertfordshire.
It is not a CCTV survey. The camera finds the defect. This page is the fix. It is not drain unblocking — that gets the water moving tonight. If the same drain keeps coming back because the pipe is cracked, you need a repair, not another rod. Drain jetting is the clean that prepares a liner; it is not the liner.
We patch-line a localised defect, CIPP-line a run that is failing throughout, and excavate a gully at the side of a house when the pot itself is broken. We quote a fixed price after we have seen the footage. There is no call-out fee. We do not line a collapse we cannot restore, and we will say so.
Why Homes and Businesses Book Drain 247 to Repair
Patch and CIPP, Not a Default Dig
Most cracked and leaking house drains can be lined from the inside. We patch a local defect and CIPP-line a run that is failing throughout.
We Excavate When Lining Cannot
A dropped gully at the side of the house, a total collapse, a joint we cannot restore — we dig that section, not the whole garden.
Survey Before We Quote
We will not price a lining job we have not seen. The footage is the specification. If you already have a report, send it.
Pitch Fibre and Clay
A lot of Hertfordshire housing still sits on these. We line them rather than writing the whole run off and digging it out.
Driveway and Garden Stay Put
No-dig lining avoids breaking slabs, turf and flower beds that would otherwise have to be reinstated after a trench.
Fixed Price Before We Start
Quoted after we have seen the defect. No call-out fee, and the price does not change because it is a Sunday.
Book Drain Repair Today
Patch lining, CIPP lining and gully excavation — booked now, so the cracked pipe is repaired rather than waiting for the next overflow.
Send a survey report if you have one, or call with the address and what is failing: a crack on a camera, a gully at the side of the house, pitch fibre that keeps blocking. We tell you whether lining will do, when we can be there, and what it will cost. There is no call-out fee. The figure we quote before we start is the figure on the invoice.
Most house repairs around Watford are a van job from a manhole or a gully. If a tanker or a culvert crew is the right plant, we will say so before anyone leaves the yard.
Who Drain Repair Is For
The job is to restore the pipe. The reason you book it is not. A crack on a camera, a gully that has dropped, or a drain that will not stay clear — this is the page.
Homes
A cracked clay run, pitch fibre that is delaminating, or a gully at the side of the house that has dropped and disconnected. We repair the pipe you have, rather than selling a full replacement first.
After a CCTV Survey
You already have footage that shows a crack, a hole or a displaced joint. Send the report. We quote the patch, the CIPP lining or the excavation from what is on the screen.
It Will Not Stay Clear
Unblocked last month, blocked again. That is often a broken pipe, not bad luck. We still get the water moving, then we repair so you are not paying for another clearance.
Landlords and Managing Agents
A tenant with a drain that keeps failing, or a block of flats with a shared run that is cracked. One invoice, a camera after the lining, a clear note of what was repaired.
When You Need the Drain Repaired
If water is backing up tonight, start on unblocking. If the camera has already shown a crack, or the same drain will not stay clear, this is the page.
The Camera Showed a Crack
A hole, a displaced joint, or pitch fibre coming apart. That is a repair, not another clean.
It Keeps Blocking
Cleared, then back. Rods and a jet will not hold if the pipe itself is open. Lining or a gully replacement stops the repeat visit.
A Gully That Has Dropped
At the side of the house, the pot has sunk, cracked or disconnected from the run. Lining cannot fix a broken gully. We excavate and replace it.
Pitch Fibre Delaminating
Common in Hertfordshire housing of a certain age. CIPP lining is often how we stop it failing further without digging the garden up.
Before You Relay a Driveway
A cracked run under new paving will fail under the slabs. Line it first, then lay. Cheaper than lifting new work in a year.
A Collapse Lining Cannot Restore
If the pipe has gone, we excavate that section and say so. We do not sell a liner for a drain that cannot take one.
Gully Excavation at the Side of the House
A lot of Hertfordshire houses still have a gully on the side wall, taking the rainwater downpipe and often a kitchen or utility waste. When that pot drops, cracks or pulls off the run, water sits against the brick, the path sinks, and the drain behind it keeps blocking. A liner down the pipe will not reset a broken gully.
We excavate that gully, replace the pot, reconnect the pipework with a proper coupling, and backfill. The rest of the run, if it is cracked, is still a lining job from the nearest chamber. Two methods, one visit where we can: the gully dug, the run patched or CIPP-lined from the manhole.
This is not a culvert and not a tanker emptying an interceptor. It is a house gully. If the camera then shows the pipe behind it is collapsed, we quote that excavation separately rather than guessing under the lawn.
What We Repair
Patch lining is the job we do most: a localised liner over one crack or joint. CIPP lining is a full-length cured-in-place liner when the run is failing throughout, or pitch fibre is coming apart. Gully excavation is when the pot at the side of the house is the problem. We pick the method the footage supports.
Patch Lining
A localised liner over a crack, hole or displaced joint. The job we do most. Usually the cheapest lasting repair, from a manhole, no trench.
CIPP Lining
A full-length cured-in-place liner when the run is failing throughout, or pitch fibre is coming apart. A new pipe inside the old one.
Gully Excavation
A dropped, cracked or disconnected gully at the side of the house. The pot comes out, a new one goes in, the run is reconnected. Lining cannot do that.
Pitch Fibre and Clay
Common around Watford. We line them rather than writing the whole drain off. If a section has collapsed, we excavate that length only.
Always Surveyed First
We will not quote a lining we have not seen. If you have recent footage from another firm, send it and we will say whether we can work from that.
Only the Ground That Has to Come Up
No-dig first. When we do excavate, it is the gully or the collapsed length — not a trench the length of the garden.
What You Receive
The point of drain repair is a pipe that holds, at a price you already agreed, with footage of the result — not a trench you did not need.
A Survey We Work From
Footage of the defect before we line or dig. If you already have a report, we will say whether it is enough to quote from.
The Right Method
A patch where the defect is local. CIPP when the run is failing throughout. A gully excavation when the pot is the problem.
The Run Cleaned First
A liner will not bond to a greasy or scaled wall. We jet or cut the debris, then line. That prep is part of the repair, not a surprise extra.
Footage of the Finished Pipe
After a patch or CIPP lining you see a round, sealed bore. You are not taking our word that it took.
A Fixed Price Before We Start
Quoted from the defect we have seen. No call-out fee. Excavation, if it is needed, is quoted as that job — not buried in a lining figure.
Usually One Visit to Line
Most house patches and CIPP linings in Hertfordshire are done in a single attendance once the run is clean. A gully excavation is the same day where access allows.
How a Drain Repair Visit Works
We do not line a pipe we have not seen, and we do not dig a garden because lining was not offered.
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See the Defect
A camera confirms the crack, the gully, or the collapse — its length, and whether the pipe can take a liner. If you already have footage, we start from that.
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Clean the Run
Jetting or a cutting head removes scale, roots and debris so a liner can bond. A gully excavation skips this if the pot is coming out anyway.
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Patch, CIPP or Excavate
A localised patch, a full CIPP liner inverted and cured, or the gully dug and replaced at the side of the house. The method is the one the footage supports.
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Prove It
We camera a lining when it has cured. You see the finished bore. If we excavated, you see the new pot in and the connection made, not a hole left overnight without a figure.
Drain Repair or a CCTV Survey?
People search both when the drain will not stay clear. They are not the same job. Mixing them up is how you pay for a camera you already needed a liner for, or a lining quoted off a verbal look down a manhole.
A CCTV drain survey is the inspection: footage, stills and a written note of every defect. That is a different page. If you do not yet know whether the pipe is cracked, start there.
Drain repair is this page: the patch, the CIPP lining, or the gully excavation that puts the drain back. We still camera first if we have not seen the run. If you already have a report, send it — we quote the repair from that rather than charging you to look twice. See CCTV drain survey.
Already Have a Survey Report?
Send it over or talk us through it. We will tell you honestly whether a patch, CIPP lining or a gully excavation is the right next step, and what it will cost.
What Our Customers Say
Great service and a great team of engineers. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone. Work carried out to a high standard and the call-out was within the required time.
Turned up when they said they would, told me the price up front, and cleared a blockage two other firms had failed on.
An absolute pleasure to deal with. George arrived at my house quickly to take care of a blockage in my drain. He cleared it in less than an hour and was very knowledgeable.
Related Drainage Services
CCTV Drain Survey
Camera inspections for homes, small businesses and small sites — footage and a written report you can act on.
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Drain Mapping
Drain mapping for architects, builders and homeowners — scaled plans, invert levels and connections before you apply.
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Drain Jetting
High-pressure water jetting that scours fat, silt and scale off the pipe wall — not a hole punched through it.
Find out more
Tanker Services
Vacuum tanker deployment for emptying, interceptors, and jobs too large for a van-mounted unit.
Find out more
Culvert Cleaning
Culvert cleaning, CCTV inspection and structural repair for farms, estates, councils and commercial sites.
Find out moreDrain Repair Across Hertfordshire
Based in Watford. Patch lining, CIPP lining and gully excavation for homes and small commercial sites across Hertfordshire and north west London.
- Watford
- St Albans
- Hemel Hempstead
- Rickmansworth
- Bushey
- Croxley Green
- Abbots Langley
- Kings Langley
- Chorleywood
- Berkhamsted
- Bricket Wood
- Cassiobury
- Moor Park
- Borehamwood
- Elstree
- Radlett
- Harpenden
- Potters Bar
- Hatfield
- Welwyn Garden City
- Harrow
- Pinner
- Northwood
- Ruislip
- Harefield
- Stanmore
- Edgware
- Hendon
- Barnet
- Brent Cross
- Wembley
- Enfield
- Aylesbury
- Milton Keynes
Common Questions About Drain Repair
What Is the Difference Between Patch Lining and CIPP Lining?
A patch is a localised liner over one crack, hole or joint. CIPP lining is a full-length cured-in-place liner when the run is failing throughout, or pitch fibre is coming apart. We use patches more often. Both are no-dig.
Will You Need to Dig Up My Garden?
Usually not. Patch lining and CIPP lining repair most cracked and leaking house drains from a manhole. We excavate when the gully itself is broken, or the pipe has collapsed in a way a liner cannot restore. We show you the footage that explains why.
What Is Gully Excavation?
Digging out a dropped, cracked or disconnected gully — typically at the side of a house, under the downpipe — and replacing the pot. A liner down the pipe cannot reset a broken gully. The rest of the run can still be patched or CIPP-lined from a chamber.
Do I Need a CCTV Survey First?
Yes, if we have not already seen the run. We will not quote a lining job off a guess. If you have recent footage from another firm, send it. See CCTV drain survey if you do not have a report yet.
How Much Does Drain Repair Cost?
We quote a fixed price after we have seen the defect, with no call-out fee. A patch is not a full CIPP lining, and a gully excavation is not a lining job. You have the figure for the method we are actually doing before we start.
How Long Does Lining Last?
A correctly installed liner is a structural pipe in its own right, with a service life measured in decades rather than a few winters. That only holds if the run was cleaned and the defect was one a liner can actually restore.
Can You Line Pitch Fibre?
Yes. Pitch fibre is common in Hertfordshire housing of a certain age. CIPP lining is often how we stop it delaminating further without replacing the whole run. If a section has already collapsed, that length still needs a dig.
Is This the Same as Drain Unblocking?
No. Unblocking gets the water moving. Repair fixes the pipe so it does not fail again. If the toilet is overflowing now, start on drain unblocking. If a camera has shown a crack, stay here.
Do You Jet Before You Line?
Yes. A liner will not bond to a greasy or scaled wall. Jetting or a cutting head is the prep. A planned kitchen wall-clean with no repair is drain jetting.
Do You Cover My Area?
We are based in Watford and cover Hertfordshire and north west London, including Bushey, Rickmansworth, St Albans, Hemel Hempstead, Borehamwood, Harrow and the surrounding towns. If you are not sure, say the postcode — we will tell you on the phone.
Cracked, Lined or a Gully That Has Dropped?
Patch lining, CIPP lining and gully excavation. Survey first, then a fixed price, before anyone lifts a slab that does not need to come up.