Halloween is the season for things that lurk below, and under a surprising number of our streets, something does. Not ghosts, but rivers. They were not drained away or lost, they were buried, built over and, in many cases, turned into sewers that are still in use today. London is the best documented example, [...]
On paper, we are still in a drought. The Environment Agency's latest weekly report, covering 25 September to 1 October, has ten areas in drought status, including Solent and South Downs, Kent and South London, Thames, and Hertfordshire and North London. England received 65% of its long-term average rainfall in September, and in east [...]
Drains, sewers, manholes, tanks and underground chambers can present serious risks when access is required for inspection, cleaning, maintenance or repair. Some of these environments are classed as confined spaces, which means entering them requires careful assessment, planning and appropriate safety procedures. In many cases, the safest approach is to avoid entry altogether and [...]
A blocked toilet, overflowing drain, sewage problem or burst water main rarely happens at a convenient time. When something goes wrong late at night, at the weekend or on a bank holiday, finding an emergency drainage company that can actually respond becomes the priority. Many drainage companies advertise a 24-hour service. But what should [...]
July 2026 was the driest July on record for England, with rainfall records going back to 1836, and the Environment Agency has now declared drought across seven areas of the country. For commercial and industrial site operators, this isn't only a story about water supply. It's also changing the risk around discharge compliance, and [...]
If your site relies on a borehole, private reservoir or other private water supply rather than mains water, this summer's drought is likely to affect you more directly than most. The Environment Agency has begun issuing formal abstraction restrictions, and its most recent drought report suggests more are likely before the summer is over. [...]
2026 has already been a record-breaking year for UK weather, and it's starting to show up underground too. According to the Met Office, temperatures of 35C or higher have now been recorded in May, June and July of the same year for the first time in the UK weather record, with a run of [...]
If you run a commercial site anywhere across the South East, you've likely already seen a hosepipe ban notice from your water supplier this summer. South East Water introduced a temporary use ban across Kent from 3 July, Southern Water followed with a ban covering Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from 10 July, [...]
Pump stations are an essential but frequently neglected part of many commercial drainage systems. Because they are buried underground and out of sight, they can go years without a proper inspection - until something fails. When a pump station fails, the consequences for a business can be immediate and serious: wastewater backing up into [...]
For facilities managers and commercial property owners, subsidence is one of the most serious structural issues a site can face. Cracks in walls, sticking doors, uneven floors - these are the warning signs that typically prompt a call to a structural engineer or an insurance claim. But what many businesses don’t realise is that [...]
