A cracked or collapsed drain doesn't fix itself. Left alone, the ground around it softens, sinkholes form, and what started as a hairline fracture becomes a failed pipe under your driveway or garden. If you've had a CCTV survey that's flagged a defect, or you're seeing the signs of one, you need it fixed properly.
At Drainsco we repair drains across Basingstoke and the surrounding area. Where the pipe condition allows, we'll reline it without digging. Where it doesn't, we excavate, replace the damaged section, and reinstate properly. Either way, the work carries a 20-year guarantee.
What We Actually Do
Drain repair isn't one thing. The right method depends on the pipe material, the location, the depth, and the type of defect. Before we recommend anything, we'll put a camera down the drain to confirm exactly what we're dealing with. If you've already had a CCTV survey done, we'll work from the report and footage.
The two main methods are:
No-dig drain relining A resin-impregnated liner is fed into the existing pipe and inflated against the pipe wall. Once it cures, it forms a new pipe within the old one. No trench, no disruption to your drive or garden, and the finished bore is smooth, which actually improves flow. Relining works well on cracked, fractured or root-infiltrated pipes where the host pipe still has enough structural integrity to act as a mould.
Excavation and pipe replacement Where the pipe has collapsed, the joint displacement is severe, or the pipe has bellied badly, relining won't hold. We'll dig down to the affected section, cut out the damage, and lay new pipe to current standards. Backfill is compacted in layers. Surface reinstatement, whether that's tarmac, block paving or concrete, is included in the scope we agree before work starts.
Some jobs involve both. A long run of pipe might have one collapsed section that needs replacing and a longer fractured run that's better relined. We'll tell you which sections need which treatment and why.
How We Assess the Problem First
Every repair starts with an accurate diagnosis. We run a CCTV camera through the drain and record what we find. The footage shows us pipe condition, joint integrity, root intrusion, displacement, and flow direction. We can see whether the defect is isolated or runs along the whole pipe.
Once we've surveyed the drain, we'll talk you through what we found before any work is priced. You'll know the location of the defect, the depth, the pipe material, and the recommended repair method. The price is agreed on the phone or on site, before a single cover is lifted for repair.
If a survey has already been done by a different company, send us the report. We'll review it and give you a straight opinion on whether the recommended repair matches what the footage shows.
Common Defects We See in Basingstoke
Basingstoke's housing stock is varied, and the drain problems reflect that. On estates built in the 1960s and 70s, such as Winklebury, Buckskin, South Ham and Oakridge, the original vitrified clay pipes are now fifty-plus years old. Clay is brittle, and decades of ground movement, tree root pressure and freeze-thaw cycles leave it cracked at the joints or fractured along the barrel. Relining is often the right call here because the pipes are deep and excavation would mean days of work.
On newer estates like Chineham, Hatch Warren, Brighton Hill and Kempshott, the PVC-u pipework is younger but not immune. Poor compaction during the original build, driveways extended over drainage runs, and invasive roots from garden planting all cause problems. Displaced joints are the most common fault we find on 1980s and 1990s builds.
In villages like Old Basing, Sherborne St John, Bramley, Sherfield-on-Loddon and Overton, you'll often find older combined systems, private runs that have never been formally mapped, and tree root intrusion from mature hedgerows and oak trees running alongside Victorian-era brick culverts. These need careful scoping before a repair method is chosen.
Commercial and industrial sites at Viables, Black Dam and Chineham Business Park tend to have larger-diameter pipework and higher flow rates. Root intrusion is less common but joint displacement and grease build-up leading to structural stress are regular findings.
Signs You Might Need a Drain Repair (Not Just a Clearance)
A blockage cleared by jetting is a different job from a structural repair. Sometimes the two overlap. Here's how to tell the difference:
- Drains that block repeatedly within weeks of being cleared often have a structural cause trapping debris, not just grease or wipes
- Wet patches appearing in your garden or lawn in dry weather, particularly along the line of a drainage run
- Subsidence or soft ground near a manhole or along a path
- A drain that runs slowly even after it's been jetted, which can indicate a belly or sag in the pipe
- Foul smells from inside the property that persist after clearing, sometimes caused by a cracked pipe under a floor
- Tree roots visible through the camera that keep coming back after cutting, because they're entering through a fracture rather than a loose joint
If any of those sound familiar, a repair is likely the answer. Jetting it again will buy time, but it won't fix the underlying problem.
No-Dig vs Excavation: A Quick Comparison
| No-Dig Relining | Excavation and Replacement | |
|---|---|---|
| Surface disruption | None | Trench opened, reinstated on completion |
| Best for | Cracked, fractured or root-infiltrated pipe with intact structure | Collapsed pipe, severe displacement, bellied sections |
| Pipe materials suited | Clay, PVC-u, concrete, cast iron | Any |
| Guarantee | 20 years on the repair | 20 years on the repair |
| Access needed | Existing manholes or inspection points | Excavation point above the defect |
| Typical duration | Half a day to a full day | One to two days depending on depth and length |
Pricing for both methods is worked out individually for each job. You'll have a clear figure agreed before we start.
Areas We Cover for Drain Repairs
We work across the full RG21 to RG29 postcode range. Drain repair calls are particularly regular from Popley, Lychpit, Worting, Black Dam and Viables within Basingstoke itself, and from the villages of Tadley, Hook, Hartley Wintney, Whitchurch, Kingsclere and Oakley in the surrounding area. If you're not sure whether you're in our patch, call and we'll tell you straight away.
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Engineers are on call 24/7 across RG21 to RG29. There's no call-out fee, and the price for your repair is agreed before work starts. Remedial work including relining and pipe replacement carries a 20-year guarantee. Call us on 01256 639464 to talk through what you're seeing or to book a survey.