A cracked pipe doesn't always mean a torn-up garden. A lot of drain repairs in Cirencester can be done without breaking a single slab, using cured-in-place lining that bonds to the host pipe from the inside. When relining isn't the right call, we excavate. The point is, we choose the method that actually fixes the problem, not the one that's easiest to sell.
We carry out drain repairs across GL7, from terraced houses in Watermoor to detached properties out in Sapperton or Bibury. Every repair starts with a CCTV survey to confirm exactly what's wrong and where. You get a clear explanation before any work begins, and a price agreed on the phone with no call-out fee.
What We're Actually Fixing
Drains fail in a handful of predictable ways, and the fix depends on the failure mode.
Cracking and fracturing happens when ground movement stresses the pipe, or when older pitch-fibre or clay pipes simply reach the end of their useful life. You'll often see this first on a CCTV report, before any visible symptoms at ground level.
Root ingress starts with a hairline crack and gets worse quickly. Tree roots find the moisture, widen the joint, and eventually the pipe collapses inward. A lot of the older properties around Chesterton and The Beeches have mature trees close to the drainage run, and root damage is one of the most common faults we find there.
Joint displacement is common on older clay systems where the ground has shifted over decades. The pipes themselves may be intact but the joints have separated, meaning groundwater infiltrates and sewage leaks out. This turns up often in Stratton and in the villages along the Churn valley where Victorian-era drainage is still in place.
Partial or full collapse is the most serious scenario. The pipe has deformed or caved in entirely. Flow is restricted or blocked, and the ground above is potentially unstable. This always needs a structural repair, either relining with a full-contact liner or open excavation and replacement.
Corrosion affects older iron and concrete sections, particularly in commercial drainage and older industrial areas like New Mills. The pipe wall thins, then fractures under load.
No-Dig Relining: What It Involves and When It Works
Cured-in-place pipe relining (CIPP) is exactly what it sounds like. A felt liner saturated with resin is inverted or pulled through the existing pipe, then inflated with air or water so it presses against the host pipe wall. The resin cures hard, and you're left with a new structural pipe inside the old one.
It works well when:
- The existing pipe is cracked or corroded but still largely round and intact enough to accept the liner
- Root ingress is present but the pipe hasn't fully collapsed
- Joints have separated by less than a moderate amount, leaving enough contact surface for the liner to bridge
- The pipe run is accessible at each end but runs under a driveway, patio, extension or garden you'd rather not excavate
It doesn't work when the pipe has collapsed to the point where a liner can't travel through it, when there's a significant change in pipe diameter mid-run, or when offset joints are too severe. In those cases, excavation is the only honest answer.
Relining reduces the internal diameter of the pipe slightly. On most domestic drains this has no practical effect on flow. On smaller pipes or runs serving multiple properties, we'll check the hydraulics before committing to a liner size.
All remedial repair work, including relining and pipe replacement, carries a 20-year guarantee.
Excavation and Pipe Replacement: When It's Necessary
Some jobs need a spade. There's no point pretending otherwise.
Open excavation lets us replace a failed section completely, correct falls where the pipe has bellied and is holding standing water, and deal with collapsed pipes that no liner can pass through. We keep excavations as small as the job allows, reinstate surfaces properly, and don't leave you with a trench open overnight without good reason.
A common scenario in older Cirencester properties is a mix of both methods in one visit. A long run might have a collapsed section at one point and cracked joints along the rest. We'll excavate and replace the worst section, then reline the remainder. That's usually faster and less disruptive than digging up the full run.
Pipe materials we work with include clay, plastic (PVC-U and HDPE), pitch-fibre, concrete and cast iron. Pitch-fibre in particular is widespread in Cirencester housing built in the 1950s to 1970s, including parts of Four Acres, Bowling Green and Kings Hill. It deforms over time, going oval rather than round, which restricts flow and eventually causes blockages. If you've had recurring problems on a mid-century property, pitch-fibre is worth putting on the list to check.
The Survey Comes First
We won't quote a repair based on a description over the phone. A CCTV survey is how we establish what's actually failed, where it is, and how long the affected run is. Without that, any price is a guess.
The camera goes in through a manhole or inspection chamber and travels the drain, sending live footage back to a monitor. You can watch if you want to. We produce a written condition report with timestamped footage, and that report stays with you regardless of whether you proceed with the repair.
If the drain survey was carried out as a standalone job already, and we have the footage, we can sometimes move straight to repair planning without a second survey visit. Call us and we'll confirm whether the footage we have is sufficient.
Where We Work
Drain repairs are one of the most common calls we take across the GL7 postcode area. Cirencester town sees a lot of demand from older housing estates including Watermoor, Stratton, Siddington and Abbey, where drainage infrastructure is ageing and root intrusion from established garden trees is a recurring issue. Out in the villages, properties in South Cerney, Coates, Kemble, Down Ampney and Northleach regularly need repair work on long drain runs that weren't built to modern standards.
Commercial premises along the Tetbury Road corridor and around the town centre, as well as light industrial units at Kemble Business Park and the Cirencester Business Park area, also come under our regular patch. If you're a business and you need a drainage maintenance agreement rather than a one-off repair, ask about commercial contracts when you call.
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Engineers are on call 24 hours a day across GL7. Every job is priced individually, agreed before we start, with no call-out fee. Call 01285 704448 and we'll tell you honestly what the drain needs.