Drain unblocking and repairs in Hoddesdon and Broxbourne

What kinds of buildings do you find here?

Hoddesdon is a market town with a long high street, Georgian and Victorian frontages and many 1930s semis in the roads leading off it. Post-war estates and newer cul-de-sacs fill much of the land between the town and the Lea Valley. Broxbourne itself is smaller and more spread out, with its station, riverside walks and leafy residential streets, and the water meadows and lakes of the valley are never far away.

Do mature gardens cause drain trouble here?

Often, yes. The older suburban roads in both places have big gardens, hedges and mature trees, and roots can work their way into a cracked or loose pipe joint. If a drain in your garden blocks repeatedly in the same spot, roots are one of the first things to suspect. A camera survey will show them, and the engineer can then explain whether cutting them back, or repairing or relining the pipe, makes more sense.

What about 1930s and post-war houses?

Houses of that period commonly have clay drains that have been in the ground for decades. They may have been added to over the years, with an extension or a new bathroom connecting into the old run, so the layout does not always match what you expect. A survey helps if you plan building work, or you simply want to know where the pipes actually go.

What about shops and food businesses on the high street?

Cafes, takeaways and restaurants put a lot of grease through their drains. Fat that sets in a pipe catches everything else, and the result is slow drains, smells and repeated call-outs. If you run a food business, tell us whether you have a grease trap and how often it is emptied, and ask the engineer what else would help.

Who looks after which pipe?

A pipe serving only your property, inside your boundary, is normally your responsibility. A drain shared with other properties, and the lateral drain beyond your boundary, has generally been with the water company since October 2011. Thames Water is the sewerage company for Hoddesdon and Broxbourne, so report a shared drain or sewer fault to them.

How does an enquiry work?

You send one form. With your consent, it is passed to one local drainage engineer who covers your postcode, and no one else sees it. Where nobody covers it, we tell you and your details are not shared. Any work and its cost are for you and the engineer to settle, and asking is free.