Drain Engineers in Gravesend for Fast Drain Unblocking

Drainage in Gravesend

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

Gravesend sits on chalk that rises from the Thames marshes up towards the North Downs. Chalk drains freely, so there are few streams, but its dry valleys can flash flood in a downpour. Kent County Council's flood report for Gravesham names Northfleet, Istead Rise and the Singlewell, Westcourt and Whitehill areas as the places most exposed to that kind of sudden runoff.

The same report records highway flooding and overwhelmed sewers across Gravesend, Northfleet and the rural villages. When a lot of water arrives at once, any drain or gully that's already part-blocked is the first to back up, which is why so many of our calls here come in during or just after heavy rain.

Marsh ditches and the Ebbsfleet

North of the town, the marshes still drain to the Thames through ditches dug in medieval times, and the River Ebbsfleet runs along the borough's western edge to meet the Thames at Robins Creek in Northfleet. In town, though, it's the street drains, gullies and sewers that do the work, and they cope best when they're kept clear.

Victorian streets and new homes

Gravesend and Northfleet have plenty of Victorian terraces with clay drains shared between houses, where roots and displaced joints cause repeat blockages. The newer estates around Ebbsfleet and Singlewell have plastic systems that mostly block with wipes, fat and debris. We'll tell you which you've got and whether the blockage is yours.

Is it your drain or Southern Water's?

Southern Water runs the public sewers across Gravesham. A drain serving only your property, inside your boundary, is usually yours. If 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: Gravesham.