Blocked drains in SE16 rarely wait for a convenient moment. Someone answers whatever time you call covering Rotherhithe and South Bermondsey, with the price agreed up front.
What we cover in SE16
What we take in across SE16 spans Rotherhithe and South Bermondsey, part of Southwark. Because we cover the neighbouring postcodes too, we can deal with both ends of a shared run.
Rotherhithe and South Bermondsey are dockside, tidal and low-lying, with a mix of estates, warehouse conversions and newer flats. Pumped drainage and slow surface water clearance are the local constants.
Common causes in SE16
What actually causes most of the work in SE16 are predictable:
- Fat and cooking oil poured down a kitchen sink, which cools and hardens inside the pipe
- Wipes marketed as flushable, which do not break down all the way to the sewer
- Roots from nearby planting entering through a cracked joint
- Sand and silt collecting in a low point
Signs worth reporting
Before you call, it helps to know what you are looking at:
- Standing water in a yard gully when nothing is running
- More than one appliance backing up, rather than a single sink
- Bubbling in the pan when the bath is let out
- Foul odour around a chamber that is stronger in warm weather
How the visit works
The order matters, so we work it out before we jet:
- Check the chambers along the run to find where the flow stops
- Establish whether it is your pipe or the water company’s
- Clear the blockage with water jetting at a pressure suited to the pipe
- Flush the line and test each fitting before we finish
Before we arrive
In the meantime, these few things genuinely help:
- Stop using water in the property, especially washing machines
- Move children and pets away from the affected area
- Make sure the chambers can be reached
- Note which fittings are affected when you ring
Who pays for the repair
A blockage is not automatically your bill. 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 identify the location and are straight with you about it, even when that means we are not the ones doing the repair.
What it costs in SE16
Outside drain clearance is a fixed £144 plus VAT. Prices are fixed rather than hourly, which means a stubborn blockage costs what we said.