24/7 Emergency Service
0207 046 1363
ERLEMERGENCY REPAIRSLONDON
Drainage engineer clearing a blocked drain in London with high-pressure jetting equipment
24/7 London Drainage

Blocked Drains London — 24/7 Clearance, Jetting & CCTV

Fast 45–90 minute response across all 32 London boroughs. Manual rodding from £95, high-pressure jet vac £180–£320, CCTV survey £140–£280. Building Regs Part H + BS EN 752 compliant on every job.

30-day return guarantee on every cleared blockage. WinCan-format CCTV reports accepted by all UK insurers. Fully insured to £5M.

0207 046 1363WhatsApp 07456 975436Book online

£5M Public Liability

Fully insured

BS EN 752 + Part H

Compliant repairs

24/7 Response

Nights & weekends

45–90 min ETA

London average

30-Day Guarantee

On every clearance

Quick Answer

A blocked drain in London costs £95–£165 for manual rodding (1hr inc), £180–£320 for high-pressure jet vacuum on a main run, and £140–£280 for a CCTV survey with a WinCan-format report. Response time is 45–90 minutes London average, 24/7. Most blockages clear on the first visit. Call 0207 046 1363.

Drain clearance across London — what we do

We clear blocked drains across every London borough, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The van turns up with everything needed to diagnose and clear on the same visit — manual drain rods, an electric snake for tight bends, a 4,000 psi jet vacuum unit for main runs and downpipes, and a colour CCTV camera with sonde tracing for hidden faults. There is no second visit to fetch tools and no separate diagnosis charge layered on top.

The fault types we see most often in London property are kitchen sink runs blocked by fat and grease in Victorian and Edwardian terraces, WCs backing up from wet wipes and limescale in 1930s semis, external gullies silted up with leaves and grit on suburban estates, and main soil stack runs collapsed or root-ingressed in the older clay and pitch-fibre stock. Each one has a different cheapest-effective method and we work that out before we quote — manual rod for a single fixture, jet vac for a run, CCTV first if the symptoms suggest a hidden cause.

Every clearance carries a 30-day return guarantee. If the line blocks again from the same cause inside 30 days the return visit is free, no questions asked. Where the underlying cause is structural — a displaced joint, a fracture, a collapsed pitch-fibre section — the CCTV survey produces a WinCan-format defect-coded report that meets every UK insurer's documentation standard, and the repair (no-dig patch lining or open-cut excavation) is fixed-priced before any work begins.

What we clear

  • Kitchen sinks blocked with grease, fat and food waste
  • Bathroom basins, baths and showers clogged with hair and soap scale
  • WC pans backing up — wipes, sanitary product or limescale
  • External gullies and yard drains full of leaves and silt
  • Downpipes and rainwater hoppers blocked at the shoe
  • Main soil stack runs with mixed greywater and foul build-up
  • Shared drain runs between terraced or semi-detached properties
  • Interceptor traps in older Victorian and Edwardian London stock
  • Cesspits, septic tanks and pumping stations on rural-edge boroughs
  • Tree root ingress in clay and pitch-fibre lines
  • Fat bergs in commercial kitchen drains and grease traps
  • Collapsed sections diagnosed by CCTV — no-dig lining or open-cut repair
  • Flooded basement drains, light wells and external steps gullies
  • Macerator and Saniflo blockages on basement WCs and kitchen islands

Blocked drain cost in London — 2026 pricing

Pricing is by clearance method, not by hour. A fixed figure is confirmed on the call once we know which fixture, whether the symptom is internal or external, and whether anything visible has come up — sewage at a manhole lid, water at a gully, gurgling at an upstream sink. No VAT add-ons, no parking surcharges, no out-of-hours premium on contracted commercial accounts.

Job TypeWhat's CoveredTypical Cost
Manual rod & snake (single blockage)1 hour on site, internal sink/WC/shower or single external gully. Standard van kit.£95–£165
High-pressure jet vacuum4,000 psi jetter on main runs and downpipes. Removes grease, scale, silt, fat berg.£180–£320
CCTV drain survey + WinCan reportColour CCTV camera survey, sonde tracing, full report with WinCan-format defect codes.£140–£280
Root cutting (cutter head + jet)Root mass removal from clay or pitch-fibre lines using mechanical cutter head + jet flush.£220–£480
No-dig drain repair / patch liningResin patch or short liner over a localised crack, displaced joint or fracture.£550–£1,200
Dig-up + replace (shallow, under 1m)Localised excavation, replace collapsed pitch fibre or clay section, backfill and reinstate.£450–£950
Dig-up + replace (deep, 1m+ or under hard standing)Deeper excavation through paving/concrete, traffic management where needed, new uPVC run.£950–£2,400
Out-of-hours emergency call-outNights, weekends, bank holidays — flooded property, sewage backing up indoors.from £165

* Prices include VAT. Full pricing list on the pricing page.

Call 0207 046 1363WhatsApp 07456 975436

How it works — call to clean line

High-pressure jet vacuum unit clearing a London main drain run
1

Call within seconds

0–2 min

Call 0207 046 1363 and describe the blockage — is water sitting in the sink, is the WC backing up, can you hear gurgling. We confirm price band and ETA before we hang up.

2

Engineer on site

45–90 min London average

Fully equipped van turns up with manual rods, electric snake, 4,000 psi jet vac and CCTV camera. No second visit for tools — everything is on the van from minute one.

3

Diagnose + clear

30 min – 2 hr

Start with the cheapest method that will work. Manual rod on a single sink, jet vac on a main run, CCTV if a hidden cause is suspected. Fixed price confirmed before any escalation.

4

Verify flow + clean down

10 min

Test flush from every fixture upstream, jet rinse the line, replace any covers we lifted. The job is not closed until water runs free and the manhole sits dry.

5

Report + 30-day guarantee

Same day

Digital invoice with photos, plus a 30-day return guarantee on any cleared blockage. If the line blocks again from the same cause inside 30 days the return visit is free.

Standards we work to

Drainage in England is regulated. Every clearance, lining job and excavation we deliver is designed and documented against the statutory and recognised industry standards below — so the work passes Building Control, satisfies your insurer, and is fully defendable if a tenant or neighbour challenges it.

Building Regulations Approved Document Part H

England's statutory drainage standard. Part H1 covers foul drainage falls, materials, access and venting. Part H2 covers wastewater treatment. Every repair, relining or replacement we carry out is designed against Part H — including minimum 1:40 falls on 100mm runs, correct rest-bend and inspection chamber spacing, and ventilation back to the soil stack.

BS EN 752 — Drain and Sewer Systems Outside Buildings

The European standard for the design, construction and rehabilitation of drain and sewer systems outside the building line. We work to BS EN 752 on every external survey, repair quote and relining job — covering hydraulic capacity, structural condition coding, and rehabilitation method selection (patch, full liner, pipe burst or open-cut).

BS EN 13508-2 / WRc Manual of Sewer Condition Classification

Defect coding standard used in every CCTV survey we issue. Reports are produced in WinCan format with structural condition grades (1–5) and service condition grades (1–5) per defect. Insurers, conveyancers and local authorities accept WinCan-formatted reports as standard.

Water Industry Act 1991 — Section 106

Defines public versus private drain ownership. Any shared drain serving two or more properties is generally adopted by Thames Water as a public sewer. We confirm ownership before quoting any major work so the right party pays — many shared blockages are recoverable from Thames Water free of charge.

Real London cases

CCTV drain camera survey image from a London property inspection

Victorian terraced 3-bed, Hackney — kitchen sink backing up

Repeat blockage 2m down the run from the kitchen waste. Manual rod cleared cosmetics on first pass. Jet vac on second pass shifted 6 years of compacted fat. CCTV showed a slight belly but no fracture. 90 minutes on site, £180 inc VAT, 30-day guarantee.

1930s semi, Ealing — toilet not flushing on ground floor

Inspection chamber in side return was full to the lid. Wet wipes wrapped on a benching ledge. Jet vac cleared the obstruction in 20 minutes. CCTV confirmed clay line in good condition. £165 inc VAT, customer signed up for annual jet-flush PPM.

Newbuild block of flats, Stratford — basement gym flooded

Communal drain run from gym showers backed up under the slab. Jet vac removed hair-and-soap mass. CCTV survey for managing agent showed displaced joint — patch liner installed the same week. Initial clearance £280, patch lining £780, full WinCan-format report for the block insurance.

Victorian conversion flat, Camden — sewage smell, no visible blockage

No blockage at the customer's fixtures. CCTV traced a dry P-trap on an unused basement gully plus a hairline crack in a shared soil stack. Trap re-primed, hairline patched with localised resin. Smell gone same day. £320 total.

Commercial restaurant, Soho — fat berg in grease line

Front-of-house complaints of slow drainage. 6m fat-berg between grease trap and main connection. Jet vac with rotary head plus tanker recovery. Out-of-hours night job to avoid trading hours. £640 inc VAT, plus quarterly PPM contract signed for the kitchen group.

Detached 4-bed, Bromley — recurring blockages every 6 months

Three previous unblocks by other contractors had not solved the root cause. Our CCTV survey found a collapsed pitch-fibre section under the driveway. Open-cut dig-up + 3m uPVC replacement, drive reinstated with matching block paving. £1,640 inc VAT, no further blockages in 18 months.

Why ERL for drainage

  • 24/7 cover including nights, weekends and bank holidays — no extra premium on contracted accounts
  • 45–90 minute average response time across all 32 London boroughs
  • £5,000,000 public liability insurance, fully insured for excavation work
  • Every van carries 4,000 psi jet vac, CCTV camera, electric snake and manual rods
  • WinCan-format CCTV reports accepted by every UK insurer and conveyancer
  • 30-day return guarantee on every cleared blockage — repeat fault, free return
  • Building Regulations Part H and BS EN 752 compliant on every repair
  • Fixed price confirmed on the phone — no surprise bills, no hourly rate creep

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to unblock a drain in London?
A standard drain unblock in London using manual rods or an electric snake costs £95–£165 inc VAT and includes the first hour on site. A high-pressure jet vacuum clearance on a main run is £180–£320, and a full CCTV drain survey with a WinCan-format report is £140–£280. Root cutting is £220–£480, no-dig patch lining is £550–£1,200, and a dig-up + replace on a shallow run is £450–£950. Out-of-hours emergency call-out starts at £165. Every price is confirmed on the phone before the engineer leaves the depot — no surprises on the invoice.
Is a CCTV drain survey worth the money?
Yes, in three situations. First, where a property has had two or more blockages in the same line within 12 months — the camera will pin down whether the cause is a structural defect, a root ingress or a build-up problem. Second, before any major resin lining or excavation quote — you cannot price a repair without seeing the defect on camera. Third, as a pre-purchase survey on Victorian and Edwardian London stock where pitch-fibre and clay drains are common and routinely collapse. A £140–£280 survey can stop a £15,000 surprise after completion. The WinCan-format report is accepted by mortgage lenders, conveyancers and insurers.
Are drain blockages covered by home insurance in London?
Most buildings insurance policies cover the cost of accidental damage to drains and the cost of CCTV investigation when there is a sudden, unexpected event such as a collapse or root ingress, but they exclude routine clearance and gradual blockages caused by fat, scale or wipes. The exception is 'home emergency' add-ons which often cover the initial call-out and clearance up to £500. Always check whether your policy specifies the underground drainage and whether external runs are included. We provide WinCan-format CCTV reports and photographic invoicing that meet every UK insurer's documentation standard for claims.
Why does my drain smell even though water flows through it?
Three common causes in London property. A dry P-trap on a rarely used fixture (utility room sink, basement shower) — the water seal evaporates and lets foul air up from the drain. Refill the trap with water and check daily. A blocked or absent air admittance valve at the top of the soil stack — the stack cannot draw air, so it pulls water seals out of nearby traps. A fractured soil pipe in a void or wall cavity — usually a hairline crack on the back of an old cast-iron stack. CCTV smoke testing identifies the leak point and a localised resin repair sorts it without opening up the wall.
How do you deal with tree roots in a drain?
Roots enter clay and pitch-fibre drains through displaced joints and existing hairline cracks — they do not break uPVC. Standard sequence is jet vac to clear the obstruction, mechanical cutter head to shear the root mass back to the pipe wall, CCTV to grade the joint damage to BS EN 13508-2, then a decision on no-dig patch lining versus open-cut replacement. A patch liner over the root-entry joint stops re-growth for 25+ years and avoids excavation. Where the host pipe is collapsed or pitch-fibre delaminated, open-cut + uPVC replacement is the long-term fix. Costs run £220–£480 for the cut, £550–£1,200 for a patch liner, £450–£950 for a shallow dig-up.
What's the difference between a shared drain and a private drain?
Under Section 106 of the Water Industry Act 1991 and the 2011 transfer of private sewers, any drain that serves two or more properties before joining the public sewer is in most cases now a public sewer adopted by Thames Water. That means Thames Water is responsible for clearing blockages in shared runs — they will attend free of charge, usually within 4 hours on a 0800 number. A drain that serves only your own property up to the boundary is private and is the homeowner's responsibility. We always check ownership before quoting any major work — if it turns out to be a Thames Water sewer, you do not pay us at all.
How long does it take to clear a blocked drain?
Most domestic blockages are cleared in 30 minutes to 2 hours. A single blocked kitchen sink with manual rods is 30–45 minutes. A jet vac on a main run is 60–90 minutes including verification flushes. A CCTV survey is a further 45–60 minutes. Tree-root cutting on a heavily ingressed line can take 2–3 hours. Excavation jobs run from half a day for a shallow dig-up to 2 days for a deep replacement under hard standing. Out-of-hours emergency calls are normally complete within 2 hours of arrival.
Can you do same-day blocked drain repairs in London?
Yes — 24/7 same-day attendance is the default service. London average response time is 45–90 minutes from the call. Every van carries 4,000 psi jet vac, CCTV camera, electric snake and manual rods so the clearance is normally completed on the same visit. For full no-dig patch lining or excavation work the diagnosis happens same-day and the repair is booked within 24–72 hours depending on parts and notice requirements. Out-of-hours nights, weekends and bank holiday slots are available at the published call-out rate from £165.
Do you handle commercial drainage in London?
Yes. Restaurants, pubs and takeaways with grease line and fat berg problems are routine — we have rotary cutter heads, tanker recovery and quarterly PPM contracts that keep grease lines compliant. Office blocks, hotels and retail premises get out-of-hours scheduling to avoid trading hours. Industrial premises with interceptor traps, oil separators and large-volume foul lines are quoted after a CCTV survey. Every commercial job is documented to BS EN 752 with photographic and WinCan-format records suitable for landlord and insurer compliance files.
What is a fat berg and how do you remove it?
A fat berg is congealed fats, oils and grease (FOG) combined with wet wipes and sanitary products that solidifies inside a drain run. London commercial kitchens and large residential blocks routinely produce them — Thames Water removes hundreds of tonnes of fat berg from the sewer network every year. Removal sequence is high-pressure jet vac with a chain-cutter or rotary head, followed by tanker recovery of the broken-down material. A clean-down jet flush finishes the run, and a CCTV survey confirms the pipe wall is back to original bore. Cost is typically £320–£780 depending on length and access.
Will high-pressure jetting damage my pipes?
No, when carried out by a competent operator with the right nozzle and pressure setting for the host pipe. Modern uPVC and salt-glazed clay handles 4,000 psi with no issues. Pitch-fibre pipes — common in 1950s–1970s London housing — are softer and require a reduced pressure and a softer nozzle. Cast-iron downpipes need a flexible lance. Our engineers carry the full nozzle set and start with the lowest effective pressure. If a CCTV survey before jetting shows pipe damage already present, the jet pressure is dropped or we switch to a slower mechanical method. The 30-day return guarantee covers any unexpected damage to a pipe that should have held the pressure.
Do I need a CCTV survey before buying a London property?
Strongly recommended on any Victorian or Edwardian terrace, semi or detached, and on any 1950s–1970s estate house where pitch-fibre drainage is common. Mortgage surveyors do not inspect drains as standard and conveyancers do not warrant condition below ground. A £140–£280 CCTV survey with a WinCan-format defect-coded report is the cheapest pre-purchase insurance you can buy on a London property. We have repeatedly found displaced joints, collapsed sections and root ingress that would have cost £3,000–£15,000 to repair post-completion. The report is also accepted by insurers as a baseline condition record.
What standards do you work to?
Every drain repair or rehabilitation we carry out is designed against Building Regulations Approved Document Part H (foul drainage and wastewater treatment) and BS EN 752 (drain and sewer systems outside buildings). CCTV surveys are produced in WinCan format with defect coding to BS EN 13508-2 and the WRc Manual of Sewer Condition Classification. Shared drain ownership is confirmed against Section 106 of the Water Industry Act 1991 before any chargeable work is quoted. All operatives hold current CSCS cards and confined-space training for chamber entry.
Are you fully insured?
Yes — £5,000,000 public liability insurance and £10,000,000 employer's liability, both in force at all times. All operatives are PAYE employees of London 247 Home Services Ltd (Company No. 17120057) — we do not subcontract drainage work. Insurance certificates are provided on request before any chargeable visit and are emailed automatically alongside the invoice on every excavation or lining job. Domestic and commercial customers and managing agents can also be named on certificates of insurance for a specific job on request.
Do you offer a guarantee on blocked drain clearance?
Yes — every cleared blockage carries a 30-day return guarantee. If the line blocks again from the same cause within 30 days we return free of charge. No-dig patch lining and full pipe liners carry a 25-year manufacturer's guarantee. Open-cut uPVC replacement carries a 10-year workmanship guarantee on the joint and bedding. Commercial PPM contracts include unlimited reactive call-outs at no extra cost. Every guarantee is documented on the invoice — there is no separate registration step and no warranty card to lose.

Still got a question?

Call the office direct — no call-centre, no robot menu.

0207 046 1363

Blocked drain right now?

24/7 attendance, 45–90 minute London response, fixed price confirmed on the call. From £95 manual rod, £180 jet vac, £140 CCTV survey. 30-day return guarantee on every clearance.

0207 046 1363WhatsApp 07456 975436Book online

Fully insured to £5,000,000 • Building Regs Part H + BS EN 752 compliant • WinCan reports • 30-day guarantee

Coverage

Service Area — All London Boroughs

Drainage call-outs are attended across the whole of Greater London — from Enfield in the north to Croydon in the south, Hounslow in the west to Havering in the east. 45–90 minute average ETA from booking to wheels on the ground.

London street manhole cover during a drainage inspection

Call ERL — drain clear, line flowing, job documented

24/7 across every London borough. £95 manual rod, £180 jet vac, £140 CCTV. Fixed price confirmed on the call. 30-day return guarantee. Fully insured.

Call 0207 046 1363WhatsApp 07456 975436Book online

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