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UrgentPlumbing & Drainage

Blocked drains cleared — and the cause explained

A blocked drain rarely clears itself, and it usually gets worse. We clear blockages in sinks, toilets, baths, showers and outside drains.

We'll also tell you why it happened, so you know whether it's likely to come back.

Need help right now?

Water escaping or a drain backing up?

Call 01223 482425

Not urgent, or want a quote?

Send an enquiry

Signs to look for

Signs of a blocked drain.

Where the symptoms show up tells us a lot about where the blockage is.

  • Water won't go down

    A sink, bath or shower tray holding water, or draining far slower than it used to.

  • Toilet rising when flushed

    The water level climbs towards the rim instead of draining away, or empties very slowly.

  • Gurgling plugholes

    Air being pushed back through the water — a common sign of a partial blockage further down.

  • Bad smells

    A sewage smell from plugholes, around the toilet, or from an outside drain cover.

  • Outside drain overflowing

    Water pooling around a gully, or seeping from the edges of a manhole cover.

  • Several fittings affected at once

    If the toilet, bath and sink are all slow, the blockage is probably in the shared pipe they all drain into.

Right now

Before we get to you.

A few things stop a blockage turning into a flood.

Call 01223 482425
  1. Stop using anything that drains into the blocked pipe — taps, shower, washing machine, dishwasher and toilet.
  2. Don't keep flushing a toilet that's rising. Each flush adds more water with nowhere to go.
  3. Avoid pouring chemical drain cleaners in. They rarely shift a solid blockage and leave caustic water sitting in the pipe.
  4. If an outside drain is overflowing, keep children and pets away from it.

How we help

How we deal with it.

We work out which section of pipe is blocked, then clear it using the right method for that drain.

  • Find where the blockage actually is, starting from the nearest access point
  • Clear it and get the water flowing again
  • Run water through to check the pipe is draining freely before we leave
  • Tell you what caused it — fat, wipes, roots, silt — and whether anything suggests a bigger problem
  • Leave the area clean
A round plastic drain access chamber outside a property, with its lid lifted off
Outside drain access point, lid off

What happens next

What happens when you contact us.

  1. Step 1

    Tell us which drains are affected

    Which fittings are slow or blocked, and whether it's inside, outside or both. This tells us roughly where to look.

  2. Step 2

    We find the blockage

    We start at the nearest access point and work along the pipe until we find it.

  3. Step 3

    We agree the work

    Once we know what we're dealing with, we tell you what it'll take before carrying on.

  4. Step 4

    Cleared and tested

    We run water through to make sure it's flowing, and tidy up afterwards.

Questions

Blocked drains: common questions.

Something else you'd like to know? Call 01223 482425 or email us.

Will a chemical drain unblocker fix it?

Sometimes, for a slow sink with a soap or hair build-up. For a full blockage, usually not — and it leaves caustic water sitting in the pipe, which makes clearing it more difficult. If you've already used some, please tell us when you call.

Is the blockage my responsibility?

Pipes that only serve your property, and sit within your boundary, are usually yours. Shared drains and anything beyond your boundary are usually the water company's. We'll tell you which we think it is.

Why does my drain keep blocking?

Repeat blockages normally have a cause: fat and wipes building up, a pipe without enough fall, roots getting in, or a damaged section. Clearing it again won't solve those. We'll tell you what we think is going on — see our drain cleaning page for longer-term fixes.

Can I still use the toilet?

If the toilet or any drain in the house is blocked, it's best not to. Waste has nowhere to go and can come back up through the lowest fitting in the house.

Related

Related services.

All services

  • Drain cleaning

    Slow drains, smells that come and go, blockages that keep coming back. We clean out the build-up, not just the latest blockage.

  • Call if urgent

    Emergency plumbing

    Burst pipes, water through the ceiling, no water at all. Call and we'll help you make it safe, then sort the repair.

  • Taps, toilets, sinks & showers

    New taps, sinks, toilets and showers fitted properly — connected, sealed and tested — whether you've bought them or need advice on what to buy.

If it can't wait, call us now.

Tell us what you can see. We'll help you make it safe and explain what happens next.

Call 01223 482425

Not urgent? Send an enquiry and we'll get back to you.

Call 01223 482425Enquire