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, [...]
Most drainage systems will experience occasional issues over time. However, when the same problem continues to return, it is often a sign that something more significant is affecting the system. Recurring drainage problems can appear in different ways. A drain may repeatedly block in the same location, gullies may regularly overflow or unpleasant odours [...]
The responsibility for maintaining and repairing drainage systems is shared between property owners, water companies, and the local authorities. Locating a problem and understanding who is responsible for what part of the drainage network can help you avoid unnecessary repair costs for yourself or your business and ensure that your drains are properly looked [...]
If you are responsible for building or renovating any property, including its drainage system, you need to be aware of UK building regulations. These regulations ensure that a building’s drainage system is safe, functional, and environmentally friendly. This is critical if your property is likely to experience high footfall or it’s accessed by the [...]
Maintaining your sewers and drains is important, whether you are a homeowner, business property manager or you’re responsible for a public building. However, badly carried out repairs can lead to a host of extra problems that affect both residential and commercial properties, ranging from minor inconveniences to major disruption. Some common problems caused by [...]
Drain and sewer issues usually come to the fore only when people have an emergency, particularly in residential properties. However, if you run a business or complex operation from commercial premises, where a flood or blockage could disrupt your operation, cause financial loss, harm your reputation, or pose a public risk, then a trusted [...]
It could be argued that drainage technology hasn’t changed for thousands of years. Our toilets, sewers, drains etc would have been familiar to a Roman. The only changes occurred after civilisations fell and we reverted to emptying chamber pots into open gutters, before people like the Victorians recreated the idea of drain and sewer [...]
