Drainage Knowledge Centre

What Is a Sewage Treatment Plant?

A plain-English guide to domestic sewage treatment plants, their discharge arrangements, maintenance and the checks that matter when buying a property.

Published 12 October 2026

What Is a Drainage Field?

Learn what a wastewater drainage field does, why soil and groundwater matter, and what to investigate when the system stops draining.

Published 12 October 2026

General Binding Rules for Septic Tanks and Sewage Treatment Plants in England

Understand the rules for small sewage discharges in England, when permits are needed and which evidence supports a compliance assessment.

Published 9 October 2026

What Is a French Drain?

How French drains collect and move water, where they can help and what to check before installing one in a garden or beside a building.

Published 9 October 2026

Does a Level 3 Home Survey Include a Drainage Survey?

Find out what a Level 3 home survey checks, when specialist drainage investigation is needed and what to send us after a surveyor's recommendation.

Published 28 September 2026

What Happens If Your Site Fails a Soakaway Test?

What poor infiltration results mean for a drainage proposal, when further investigation helps and why storage still needs a viable outlet.

Published 25 September 2026

How Do You Find Out Where Underground Drains Run?

How drain routes are investigated, what electronic locating can show and which information belongs on a drainage drawing.

Published 24 September 2026

Why Is My Soakaway Overflowing When It Rains?

Why rainwater drainage may back up in wet weather, how the cause is investigated and what to establish before replacing a soakaway.

Published 23 September 2026

Why Does My Garden Flood After Heavy Rain?

How to identify useful clues when your garden floods, what to record during wet weather and what to check before installing drainage.

Published 22 September 2026

Buying a Property With a Septic Tank: What Should Be Checked?

A practical guide for homebuyers, building surveyors and solicitors covering the records, condition, discharge arrangements and compliance questions to investigate before exchange.

Published 14 September 2026

What Is a BRE 365 Soakaway Test?

Learn what a BRE 365 soakaway test measures, how infiltration testing is carried out and why the results are needed before a surface-water soakaway is designed.

Published 8 September 2026

Resolving A Severely Waterlogged Garden Near Baldock

A lawn still saturated and squelching after 50 days of drought. The homeowner had lived with a permanently boggy garden that never dried out, even through an exceptionally dry summer. Investigation uncovered a burst water pipe beneath the patio and a failed soakaway that had stopped draining altogether.

Resolving Decade-Long Basement Flooding

A homeowner's wine cellar, situated beneath a large double garage and annexe, had been flooding repeatedly for over 10 years since the garage was built. Despite multiple contractors attempting to resolve the issue over the years, the fundamental problems had been consistently overlooked. The key challenge was identifying the root cause of water ingress in a basement setting, where issues can remain hidden beneath ground level. What lies beneath the surface isn't always visible until excavation begins.