A cracked or collapsed drain doesn't fix itself. Leave it and you'll get subsidence, persistent blockages, or sewage breaking out under a garden or driveway. If a CCTV survey has flagged a defect, or you've noticed sinkholes forming near your drainage run, you need the pipe assessed and repaired properly.
We carry out drain repairs across Solihull, from Chelmsley Wood and Castle Bromwich in the north to Knowle, Dorridge and Balsall Common in the south. Where the pipe's condition allows it, we'll reline it without digging. Where it doesn't, we excavate only what's necessary.
What's Actually Wrong With Your Drain
Most cracked or failed pipes fall into one of a few categories. Knowing which one determines how it gets fixed.
- Fractures and cracks caused by ground movement, root intrusion, or age. Terracotta and clay pipes in older Solihull properties, particularly in Olton, Hillfield and Elmdon, are especially prone to this.
- Root ingress where tree roots have breached joints and begun to deform the pipe internally. Common in leafy areas like Bentley Heath, Dorridge and Hampton-in-Arden.
- Displaced or open joints where the pipe hasn't broken but sections have shifted apart. Fairly common on older estate drainage in Lode Heath and Shirley.
- Partial or full collapse, usually in pipes that have been compromised for some time without repair.
- Corrosion or delamination in older concrete or pitch fibre pipes.
We confirm the defect with CCTV before any repair method is selected. You get a written report showing exactly what's there.
No-Dig Relining: When It Works and When It Doesn't
Pipe relining involves pulling or inverting a resin-saturated liner into the existing pipe, then curing it in place. The result is a smooth, joint-free pipe inside your old one, typically rated for 50 years. No trench. No reinstatement. One access point in many cases.
Relining works well when:
- The pipe has retained its shape well enough to accept a liner
- There's suitable access at each end of the run
- Root intrusion hasn't deformed the pipe wall significantly
- The host pipe is at least 100mm in diameter
It's not suitable for fully collapsed sections, heavily displaced pipes, or where there's a structural void around the pipe that needs filling first. We won't sell you a reline if excavation is the right answer. That's a waste of your money and it'll fail.
When Excavation Is Necessary
Some repairs need digging. A collapsed 150mm drain under a driveway in Monkspath or a failed section beneath a path in Dickens Heath isn't something a liner can fix. In those cases, we excavate the specific area, replace the failed section, and reinstate the surface to match.
We keep the dig to the minimum required. One square metre rather than tearing up a whole run. We also check what's adjacent before we break ground, because cutting a working pipe by accident costs everyone time.
| Repair Type | Excavation Required | Typical Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Patch liner (localised crack) | No | 2 to 4 hours |
| Full pipe reline | No | Half to full day |
| Localised pipe replacement | Yes | Half to full day |
| Collapsed drain replacement | Yes | 1 to 2 days |
The price varies with pipe depth, diameter, access, and surface type, so we quote each repair from the survey findings. You'll have a fixed quote before we start, and every repair carries our 20-year guarantee on remedial work.
Where We See This Most in Solihull
Older clay drainage in Acocks Green, Hall Green and Marston Green breaks down frequently, particularly on properties built pre-1970. Roots from mature trees are a consistent problem in Knowle, Berkswell and Catherine-de-Barnes. Driveways resurfaced without considering drainage loads have collapsed shallow runs across Kingshurst and Smith's Wood. We cover all of it, B37 to B94 and everything in between.
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Engineers are available 24 hours a day across Solihull. A price is agreed before we lift a cover or break ground. There's no call-out fee. Call us on 0121 816 1938 and we'll tell you straight what the pipe needs.