Blocked Drains in Croydon

Drainage in Croydon

The first question with a blocked drain in Croydon is usually who is responsible. We cover that first.

Croydon Council, Thames Water or you?

Croydon Council's guidance says a drain serving a single house or flat is likely the owner's responsibility. The owner would need a specialist drain contractor. Thames Water assesses free of charge whether a blockage is its responsibility. The council says Thames Water deals with blockages that affect more than one house in a street. If you rent, the council says your landlord is generally responsible.

Thames Water says it has been responsible for private sewers and lateral drains since 1 October 2011. Homeowners remain responsible for the pipe between their property and that point. They also look after their internal plumbing and waste pipes. If you are unsure where your part ends, a CCTV drain survey in Croydon shows the layout and condition of the run.

Road gullies are different. Croydon Council's flooding page lists clearing road gullies on public roads as a council job, which you can report through Love Clean Streets. Landowners or management companies look after gullies on private roads. For a drain inside your boundary, Croydon drain unblocking is what we do.

Heavy rain and surface-water flooding

Water has to go somewhere in a storm, and a drain that is already partly blocked is usually the first to back up. The River Wandle flows through Croydon, much of it in culverts. It emerges in Wandle Park, then runs underground again before it surfaces at Waddon. You can check any postcode on GOV.UK's long term flood risk service.

None of this means your drain will back up. Still, it is a good reason to clear a slow drain before a storm, not during one. Our post on what Croydon homeowners did during the 2025 to 2026 flooding is a useful read. Our winter drain maintenance tips cover the basics.

Common causes of blocked drains

Croydon Council lists fat and grease, flushed wipes and nappies, cement and plaster, and damaged pipes as common causes. It also says repeat blockages may mean faulty pipes. That matches what we usually find. Fat goes down the sink, wipes go down the toilet, and roots enter through joints. Cracked joints catch debris, while slow draining, gurgling and smells are the early signs.

How we clear a blocked drain

We usually start with rodding or jetting from the nearest access point. High-pressure drain jetting then cleans fat and debris from the pipe walls. This helps stop the blockage coming back.

If a drain keeps blocking, a camera survey finds the cause. We can then talk through drain repairs in Croydon if we find a defect. For a blockage that cannot wait, see our emergency drain services.