Blocked Drains Maidstone: Fast Drain Unblocking, Day or Night

Drainage in Maidstone

Why drains block in Maidstone, and what we do about it

Maidstone is a heavily built-up, fairly steep town where the Rivers Len and Loose join the Medway. Kent County Council's preliminary flood risk assessment found Maidstone to be the settlement in Kent most at risk of surface water flooding: when heavy rain hits all those roofs and roads at once, the water heads downhill to the low spots.

The council's flood report for the borough says the isolated surface water and sewer flooding incidents across the urban area have mostly been caused by blockages, with some streets also short of drainage capacity. In other words, much of it is avoidable: a gully or drain that's kept clear has a much better chance of coping in a downpour.

A town that knows about flooding

Maidstone town centre flooded from the river in 1960, 1963, 1968, 2000 and over Christmas 2013. River flooding is the Environment Agency's job, but the drains that carry rain off the town's steep streets are a separate system, and the blocked drains we're called to are almost always on the household side of it.

Clay to the south, ragstone hills to the north

The town sits on a greensand ridge cut through by the Medway, with heavy Weald Clay further south of the town. Clay holds water on the surface, so soakaways struggle and drains have to do more of the work. Older clay pipes in the town's Victorian streets also suffer from roots and shifted joints.

Is it your drain or Southern Water's?

Southern Water maintains the public sewers in Maidstone. A drain serving only your property, inside your boundary, is usually yours. If we find the blockage is on the public side, we'll tell you so you can report it, rather than charging you for it.

Source: Kent County Council, Flood Risk to Communities: Maidstone; Headcorn Surface Water Management Plan.