Drainage emergencies in E1 have a habit of happening at the worst time. Someone answers whatever time you call covering Whitechapel, Stepney, Wapping and Spitalfields, and a fixed price given on the call.
What we cover in E1
What we take in across E1 includes Whitechapel, Stepney, Wapping and Spitalfields, within Tower Hamlets. Since we work the surrounding postcodes as well, we can deal with both ends of a shared run.
Whitechapel, Stepney and Wapping range from estates to warehouse conversions to newer flats. The Wapping riverside is tidal and low-lying, so surface water clears slowly after heavy rain.
Common causes in E1
In E1, the common causes are:
- Waste water rising from a manhole
- Every fitting backing up at once
- Sewage appearing in a ground-floor fitting
- Surface water with nowhere to go
Signs worth reporting
What tends to prompt the call across E1:
- Standing water in a yard gully when nothing is running
- Two or more fittings affected together, which points at the shared run
- A glugging noise from a plughole as another appliance drains
- A sour smell near the gully that worsens after rain
How the visit works
The order matters, so we work it out before we jet:
- We tell you when we will actually be there
- Stop using water in the property until we arrive
- Most emergencies are resolved in one visit
- You find out if the pipe itself needs work
Before we arrive
Before the engineer arrives, a couple of things make a real difference:
- Keep water use to nothing, especially washing machines
- Move children and pets away from the affected area
- Make sure the chambers can be reached
- Have your postcode and a description ready for the call
Who pays for the repair
Not every blockage is yours to pay for. Since 2011, most shared drains and lateral drains in England belong to the water company, and a defect on the shared run is not your cost. We establish which side of the line the fault sits and tell you plainly, including when the answer is that you should call Thames Water instead.
What it costs in E1
Emergency attendance starts at a fixed £120 plus VAT, and we never charge for coming out. You get a fixed figure rather than a running clock, so a difficult job in E1 does not become an expensive surprise.