You've got a drain that keeps blocking, a smell you can't trace, or a surveyor's note flagging drainage on a property you're about to buy. You need to know exactly what's wrong and where, not a rough guess.
A CCTV drain survey puts a camera into your drain and finds the answer. We locate any fault to the metre, record the footage, and give you a written report the same day. You can use it for a repair quote, hand it to a solicitor, or keep it as a clean bill of health.
We carry out surveys across Cirencester and the surrounding GL7 villages every day. One call and we'll agree a time that works.
What Actually Happens During a Survey
One of our engineers arrives, lifts the nearest accessible cover, and feeds a camera into the drain. For most residential properties, that's a push-rod camera, a small-diameter unit on a flexible rod, well suited to 100 mm to 150 mm domestic pipes up to around 30 metres from the access point. Where the drain run is longer, involves a larger-diameter pipe, or requires inspection around bends that a push-rod won't negotiate cleanly, we use a self-propelled crawler camera instead. The camera transmits live footage to a monitor above ground; we watch the pipe wall in real time and note anything that shouldn't be there.
When we find something, we record the depth and the exact distance from the access point. After the survey you receive:
- A written condition report with fault descriptions and locations
- Digital footage, sent to you as a file or a link, not a DVD
- A clear recommendation on whether repair is needed and what type
If nothing is wrong, that's documented too. A clean report has real value, especially before exchanging on a property.
When You Actually Need One
Some situations make a CCTV survey the obvious next step.
Recurring blockages. If your drain blocks more than once a year, there's usually a structural reason: a root finding its way back in after clearing, a collapsed section that catches debris, or a belly in the pipe holding silt. Clearing the blockage without surveying the cause means you'll be back in six months.
Pre-purchase surveys. Drainage isn't covered by a standard RICS homebuyer report. If you're buying in Chesterton, Watermoor, The Beeches, or anywhere in GL7 and you want to know the condition of the drains before you exchange, a CCTV survey is the only way to be certain. Finding a drain repair after you've moved in costs more than a survey before you sign.
Unexplained smells or wet patches. A persistent drain smell inside the house, or a patch of lawn that stays wet and lush, often points to a cracked or displaced pipe leaking underground. The camera confirms it.
Insurance or legal purposes. If a neighbour's drainage work may have affected your pipes, or you need to evidence the condition of a drain for an insurance claim, the written report and footage give you something solid to work with.
After jetting that didn't fully clear the problem. Sometimes a blockage shifts but the underlying fault stays. The survey shows what's left.
What We Commonly Find in Cirencester Drains
Cirencester's mix of Victorian terraces, post-war estates, and newer developments means the drainage picture varies a lot from street to street.
In older streets around the town centre and the Abbey area, clay pipe systems are common. Clay is durable but joints can shift over decades, particularly where trees are close by. Root intrusion turns up regularly in the established gardens of Bowling Green and St Michael's. On the newer estates at Kings Hill and Four Acres, plastic pipework is standard, but shallow gradients and unsupported joints can cause problems earlier than you'd expect.
In the villages, the picture changes again. Properties in Sapperton, Coates, and Kemble often have private drainage that's never been surveyed. Down Ampney and South Cerney both have properties where the drain run from house to sewer is longer than average, giving more pipe to inspect and more opportunity for ground movement to have caused displacement.
| Fault type | Common cause | Typical outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Root intrusion | Trees near clay pipe joints | Root cutting, then assess for relining (see our root cutting service) |
| Displaced joint | Ground movement, age | Patch repair or no-dig relining |
| Collapsed pipe | Age, heavy vehicle loading | Excavation or full pipe replacement |
| Grease and fat build-up | Kitchen drain, no interceptor | High-pressure jetting, then maintenance schedule |
| Cracked pipe | Subsidence, tree root pressure | Patch repair or relining |
Where we carry out remedial work, including drain relining, patch repairs, and pipe replacement, that work carries a 20-year guarantee on workmanship and materials. The guarantee doesn't apply to blockage clearance or descaling.
How Long Does It Take
A standard residential survey covering one or two drain runs typically takes between 45 minutes and an hour and a half on site. Longer runs, or systems with multiple access points, take more time. If the survey identifies a fault and we can carry out the repair on the same visit, we'll tell you before any additional work starts, including the price.
The written report follows after the survey. We'll tell you on the day when to expect it.
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We cover Cirencester and the whole of GL7, including Fairford, Tetbury, Northleach, and the villages across the area. Engineers are on call around the clock. The price for your survey is agreed on the phone before we arrive, with no call-out fee on top.
Call 01285 704448 to book or to ask what the survey involves for your specific property.