Drain Collapsed? We Survey It First, Then Quote the Repair in Smethwick
We confirm the collapse with a camera survey, establish the depth and access, and set out the excavation or lining options before any ground is opened.
Booking fee plus hourly labour — the price is confirmed before any work starts.
What this costs
| Booked 14+ days ahead | £25 booking fee £85 per hour |
|---|---|
| Booked within 48 hours | £100 booking fee £65 per hour |
| Same-day call-out | £220 booking fee £45 per hour |
The booking fee secures the visit. Labour is then charged by the hour, so you only pay for the time the job actually takes.
Booking fee £25–£220
£25 + £85/hr booked 14+ days ahead, £100 + £65/hr inside 48 hours, £220 + £45/hr same day. Agreed before we arrive.
Covered under Blocked Drains
Drainage › Blocked Drains — one of 14 documented jobs in this section.
Same-day complete drain collapse
Urgent jobs can often be booked for today. Ask when you book and we will confirm the slot before you pay anything.
15 service areas
Birmingham, Coventry, Dorridge and 12 more across the West Midlands.
Collapsed drains are less common than blockages and far more disruptive, which is why the diagnosis matters so much. Opening ground in the wrong place, or replacing a section that was not the problem, is expensive and avoidable.
The signs that point to a collapse
A run that clears and then blocks again within days. Silt or soil appearing in a chamber that should only carry waste. A length of paving, a patio or a driveway that has dipped or cracked along a straight line. A chamber that will not empty even when rodded. Roots visible at a joint. In older properties, a clay run that has been driven over, built over, or laid too shallow.
None of these on their own proves a collapse. A sagging pipe, a cracked pipe that still carries water, and a fully collapsed section all behave differently under a camera, and the difference decides whether a repair is a patch, a lining or an excavation.
The survey comes first
We start with a camera survey from the nearest accessible chamber. The camera shows the condition of the pipe, the position of any defect to the metre, whether the pipe has dropped, whether roots have entered and whether the walls have gone. On a run with no accessible entry point, or where the camera cannot pass, we will say so and discuss what access is needed.
A survey is not a repair, and we will be clear about that. What it gives you is a documented picture of the problem you can use to compare options and, where relevant, to support an insurance claim. If the defect is beyond what we can see or reach, we will say so rather than guess.
The repair options, honestly described
A localised defect — a crack, a displaced joint, a short section of root damage — can sometimes be repaired with a patch lining, which avoids excavation. A section that has dropped, been crushed or fully collapsed usually needs excavation: the ground opened, the failed length removed, and new pipe laid with proper bedding and fall. In a garden that is disruptive but manageable. Under a driveway, a conservatory or a boundary wall, it is a much bigger job and may need a structural assessment or a specialist contractor.
We will not claim that a lining works on every pipe, or that a repaired run will never need attention again. Ground moves, trees keep growing, and a pipe repaired in one place can fail elsewhere on the same run. What we can do is explain the condition of the run as we found it and quote the work that follows from it.
Why it is quoted after the survey
Excavation cost depends on depth, ground conditions, access, what is above the pipe, and whether services cross the line. None of that can be priced honestly from a description over the phone. Any excavation or lining project is therefore quoted after the survey, with the scope set out, and you approve it before we start. If a job needs a specialist contractor or a structural engineer, we will refer rather than attempt it.
Safety and services before digging
Before any excavation we consider what else is in the ground: water, electricity, telecoms, and on some properties a fuel line. We use cable avoidance where appropriate and we work carefully, but no scan can guarantee what is below the surface. Utility plans and a safe-dig approach are part of the picture, and where plans are unclear it may be worth asking the utility providers before work starts.
Living with it in the meantime
If a run is collapsed, reduce what goes into it. Minimise water use, avoid the washing machine and dishwasher where you can, and do not keep flushing a toilet that is not clearing. Keep the affected chamber covered and cordoned, keep children and pets away, and wash your hands after any contact. If the collapse has caused sewage to surface, keep the area clear and do not wash it into the garden.
Do not tip chemicals down a collapsed run. They cannot pass, they will sit in the pipe, and they make the excavation hazardous.
To book, tell us the postcode, what you have noticed — sinking ground, repeat blockages, a chamber that will not empty — and whether the suspected run passes under a drive, an extension or a boundary. That decides what access and equipment the survey needs.
How the price works
We charge a booking fee to hold your slot, then an hourly rate for the work itself. The fee changes with how soon you need us; the hourly rate changes with the slot you choose. You approve the price before we start, so there is no surprise on the invoice.
Booked 14+ days ahead
£25 booking fee
then £85 per hour of labour
Best value. Book the slot now, pay the smallest booking fee.
Booked within 48 hours
£100 booking fee
then £65 per hour of labour
For jobs that can wait a day or two but not a fortnight.
Same-day call-out
£220 booking fee
then £45 per hour of labour
Urgent problems: standing water, no heat, no power, leaks.
Book the slot
Choose the window that suits you and pay the booking fee. That holds your place in the diary.
We diagnose on site
The engineer confirms the cause and tells you what the job involves and how long it should take.
You approve, we work
Nothing goes ahead until you agree the price. Labour is then charged per hour at your slot rate.
A collapsed drain is the point where clearing stops being the answer. Paving that has sunk, a chamber that will not clear, or a run that keeps silting up all suggest a pipe that has failed rather than blocked. The responsible next step is to look inside it and establish exactly what has happened before anyone lifts a spade.
What our customers say about our drainage service
4.2 out of 5 from 5 reviews
Fast, tidy and friendly
Turned up in the window they promised, walked me through the options (turns out the part had to be sourced locally), then cracked on. Everything was tested before they left. No mess, no drama, no surprise on the bill.
Job: Standing Water in Shower Tray
Happy overall
Good job overall. Turned up about 15 minutes after the window started, but rang to say so, and the work itself was tidy and well explained. Price was as quoted.
Job: Partial Soil Stack Blockage
Fixed it, but took longer than expected
The problem is fixed, which is the main thing, and the engineer clearly knew what they were doing. It took a fair bit longer than the estimate on the phone and I had to ask twice for a breakdown of the hours.
Job: Surface Water Drain Maintenance
Book Complete Drain Collapse
Tell us what is happening and choose a slot. If you are not sure this is the right job, use the diagnosis panel — it narrows the problem down before you book.
- Booking fee confirmed up front
- Hourly labour, agreed before work starts
- Same-day slots for urgent problems
Questions people ask about complete drain collapse
Straight answers to the things customers ask most often before booking.
Can I dig it up myself and save money?
We would advise against it. Excavation near a drain risks damaging the pipe further, and there may be services in the ground you cannot see. A survey first usually costs less than digging in the wrong place and having to reinstate it.
How do you confirm a collapse?
With a camera survey from the nearest chamber, which shows the condition of the pipe, the position of the defect and whether it has dropped or been crushed. We tell you what the camera shows rather than inferring a collapse from symptoms alone.
Do I need to tell anyone before you dig?
You are responsible for permissions on your own land, and where utility plans are unclear it is worth contacting the providers before work starts. We use cable avoidance and dig carefully, but no scan can guarantee what is beneath the surface.
What happens if something goes wrong after the repair?
We will explain exactly what we found and how the new section is laid, and we are clear that ground movement, tree roots and future loading are outside anyone's control. If a problem appears on work we have done, contact us and we will look at it rather than leave you to deal with it.
What will it cost?
You pay a booking fee when you book, and labour is charged hourly at a rate that depends on how soon you need the visit. The full cost of the work is quoted before we start, parts quoted separately, so the full cost is approved before any tools come out. An excavation or lining is quoted as a project after the survey.
Need complete drain collapse sorted in Smethwick?
Book a slot in the diary and pay only the booking fee up front. We confirm the rest before we start.