12/10/2026
Imagine moving into your dream home with a newborn baby and then having to move back out for four months….
NDL have now completed the major drainage works needed to put shoddy works right... Costs ran into tens of thousands of pounds, involving full road closures ,a Section 106 sewer connection agreement, Section 50 permissions and substantial works inside the house.
The drainage had been connected to a redundant asset. The existing foul connection was approximately 150mm too high, and after lifting the floors and carrying out CCTV surveys, we found much of the drainage was level or backfalling. Some of the installation was very questionable and simply not to spec.
After discussing the options, we agreed to dig down and relay the drainage to connect by gravity to the foul sewer at the front of the property, approximately 2.3m deep to invert, rather than install a pumping station.
We had a five-day road closure to complete the highway works, with three 11kV cables, water, gas, overhead power and fibre around us.
It’s been a long four weeks. We planned for three, but problems with the existing building works, made the job harder and it overran. The customers now have working facilitys with the drainage completed, CCTV surveyed and signed off.
This was a really sad but rewarding job for us. We genuinely felt bad for the owners. They should have been enjoying their new home with their baby, not moving out while the house was essentially dug up and all the drainage replaced.
From what we saw, there had been zero regard for the quality of the drainage work. The builder didn’t want to know, leaving them to deal with the mess. Surely there needs to be accountability for work like this?!? It’s criminal ! The cost and upset it causes families is appalling.
A full drainage CCTV survey and proper level checks should have picked these issues up before handover or selling?? A standard homebuyer’s survey won’t necessarily establish the condition of the pipes underground. Opening accessible manholes isn’t a full drainage survey.
A big thanks to DSA Engineering for the drainage design and temporary works, Tecto Group for dust extraction / trench supportand fencing, S&D Traffic Management for the TM, Raybell and Sons for the final topping and MKS Road Sweepers for their support.
Thanks also to Anglian Water, West Northamptonshire Highways, National Highways, our suppliers and the village locals for their support through the disruption. We couldn’t have done it without everyone jumping on it and moving schedules around.
Special thanks to our lads and site teams for staying extra hours to get this over the line and put things right.
The photos show some of the works.
For sewer connections, jetting, CCTV surveying, repairs, relining, customer care works, major remedials and civils across the East Midlands and beyond, give us a call. Available 24/7.
01604 385012
[email protected]
www.ndlg.co.uk
NDL protecting developments below ground.