HD camera drain inspections across all 32 London boroughs — identify blockages, root ingress, and structural faults without excavation.
We fix a steady set of problems across London properties. We explain the cause first, because you should know why it happened before we agree any work.
Every visit follows the same steps. As a result, you get the same standard of work whether the job is a quick clearance or a detailed survey.
A CCTV drain survey uses a waterproof HD camera on a flexible rod. It looks inside your drains from within the pipe. The camera goes in through a manhole, inspection chamber or rodding eye. It then moves along the drain and sends live pictures to a monitor above ground.
The engineer notes each defect as it appears. These include roots growing through joints, displaced sections, cracks, scale, grease and blockages. We record everything. The report lists each defect with its location, its grade and the action we advise.
Much of London's home drainage is old Victorian clay pipe. After well over a century, these pipes crack, let roots in and shift at the joints. London Clay also swells in winter and shrinks in summer, so it puts stress on buried pipes. This can pull joints apart.
A blocked drain may hide a structural fault. If you clear the drain without a survey, the blockage may return, because nobody found or fixed the fault.
A standard building survey does not check underground drains. For an older London home, a pre-purchase CCTV survey makes good sense before you exchange contracts. That covers most Victorian terraces, Edwardian semis and inter-war homes.
The survey costs little next to the repair bills that hidden faults can cause. A collapsed drain under a garden, or roots along a shared run, can cost a lot to fix after completion. Solicitors, lenders and insurers can use the report as evidence of drain condition.
After the inspection, we write a survey report with HD video and still images of any defects. We grade the report to WRCm standards. Solicitors, insurers and lenders can use it to see the state of the drains.
Looking for the CCTV drain survey cost? Our pricing page covers the standard survey, the pre-purchase survey, the drainage investigation and the commercial survey. It also shows what is included and what changes the final price.
We carry out CCTV drain surveys across London boroughs. For South London, see our CCTV drain surveys in Croydon page. It covers homebuyer checks, repeat blockages and pipe defect diagnosis for Croydon properties.
Building an extension or basement near a public sewer? A build over agreement survey gives you the pre-build and post-build CCTV reports that Thames Water asks for. A drainage mapping survey gives your architect a GPS drain layout plan, while it also supports your planning application.
We find the nearest suitable access point, such as a manhole, an inspection chamber or a rodding eye. We then agree the survey scope with you before any equipment goes into the drain.
Our HD camera moves through the drain at a steady pace. We note each defect with its location and WRCm class as it appears, while we record all the footage.
You get a written WRCm report with HD video and still images. We rank the repair advice by how serious each defect is, because that helps you plan the work.
The price depends on the scope. A basic single-run inspection with verbal findings costs less than a full pre-purchase survey. The full survey includes a written report for your solicitor, HD video and condition grades. Our CCTV drain survey cost page shows what changes the price, or you can request a quote online.
A survey shows roots, cracked pipe walls and displaced joints. It also shows scale, grease build-up, collapsed sections and blockages. In London's Victorian clay drains, roots and displaced joints are the two most common findings.
A basic survey of one drain run is quick. A full survey of a terrace or flat takes longer, because it depends on the number of runs, the access points and the layout. The written report follows the survey.
For an older London home, we strongly suggest one. Standard building surveys do not look at underground drains. Victorian clay pipes are prone to roots and displaced joints, and repairs can cost a lot. A survey finds these faults before you exchange contracts, and it costs far less than the repair it can help you avoid.
Yes. A report written to WRCm standards gives clear evidence of the drain condition. If it finds defects, you can use it to ask for a lower price. You can also ask the seller to repair the faults before exchange.