UK Drainage Trends 2026: Fatbergs, Flooding and the Rise of CCTV Surveys

Call-outs are up — and changing in character

Our engineers completed more blocked-drain call-outs in the first quarter of 2026 than in the same period of any previous year. The increase is partly demographic (more households, more ageing pipe infrastructure) but the composition of call-outs is also shifting.

Fatberg-related blockages — where fats, oils and grease have solidified into a mass that traps non-flushable wipes and other debris — now account for nearly a third of kitchen-drain blockages. Despite years of public education campaigns by water companies, wet-wipe flushing remains widespread. The fundamental problem is that pipes designed for the 1970s population density are now handling multiple times that flow.

Root ingress is the second fastest-growing category. The UK’s urban tree canopy has expanded significantly in the past decade (a welcome development for urban cooling), but more street trees mean more root systems seeking moisture in the drain runs beneath. Clay-pipe systems in Victorian and Edwardian terraces are particularly vulnerable.

Pre-purchase CCTV surveys: demand at a record high

Estate agents and conveyancers have increasingly recommended — or required — a CCTV drain survey before exchange of contracts. Our pre-purchase survey bookings were up 34% year-on-year in Q1 2026.

Three factors are driving this:

1. Insurance costs. Escape of water claims are one of the largest categories of home insurance payout. Insurers are scrutinising drain condition more carefully at renewal, and some are requiring inspection reports for older properties.

2. Post-purchase surprises. Several high-profile cases of buyers inheriting severely defective drainage — including one London property where a collapsed sewer caused £60,000 of structural damage — have raised buyer awareness.

3. Conveyancer guidance. The Law Society’s updated guidance on pre-exchange surveys now explicitly mentions drainage condition as a risk factor for older properties.

A pre-purchase survey costs £150–£350 and takes 1–2 hours. Given that drain repairs can cost £5,000–£50,000, the return on investment is clear.

The aftermath of the autumn 2025 floods

The significant flood events of autumn 2025 — affecting parts of Somerset, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Central Scotland in particular — generated a long tail of drainage-related work that continued through winter.

Flood damage to drain infrastructure includes:

• Joint displacement from ground movement and waterlogging
• Silt deposition inside drain runs from surface water intrusion
• Inspection chamber damage where covers were displaced by floodwater
• Soakaway failure — soakaways saturated by prolonged rainfall take months to recover, and some never return to pre-flood capacity

Many of the affected properties are only now completing drain repairs or insurance-funded restoration. We expect elevated demand for CCTV surveys and pipe-relining in flood-affected areas through mid-2026.

What to expect in the rest of 2026

Summer blockages. July and August typically see a spike in kitchen drain blockages as FOG from barbecue cooking and the absence of regular washing-machine cycles allows build-up to accumulate.

Drain maintenance contract growth. Landlords and letting agencies are accelerating adoption of planned maintenance contracts in response to tightening HMO licensing conditions in several local authority areas.

CIPP relining as the standard repair. Cured-in-place pipe lining has become the default repair method for structurally compromised drain sections, replacing open-cut excavation in the majority of cases. Modern liners have a 50-year design life, are jointless, and can be installed through existing manholes without any digging.