Drain unblocking in Sunbury-on-Thames, our home town

Sunbury's homes and their drains

The town has grown in stages. There are older cottages and villas along the river in Lower Sunbury, large 1930s estates of semis around Sunbury Common, and post-war and newer housing towards Sunbury Cross and Upper Halliford.

Each brings its own problems. The 1930s semis often have clay pipes with failing joints and a shared run between neighbours. Newer estates use plastic pipes that rarely crack but block easily with wipes and fat, and their shallow inspection chambers can be buried under block paving.

Living close to the river

Near the Thames the ground stays wet and the water table is high. After heavy rain, surface water can back up through outside gullies, and older drains can let groundwater in through cracked joints. A camera survey shows whether water is getting in, and relining stops it without lifting the garden.

Shepperton, Ashford and the villages next door

Our patch starts at the front door. Shepperton's riverside roads, the 1960s homes around Ashford and the older cottages of Charlton village are all a short drive away, and we get to know the same streets again and again.