Something's wrong with your drains and you don't know what. The blockage keeps coming back, there's a smell you can't trace, or a surveyor's flagged a drainage concern on a property you're buying. Guessing gets expensive. A camera doesn't guess.
We send a push-rod or crawler camera down your drain, record the full run in high-definition, and tell you exactly what we've found, where it is, and what needs doing. You get footage and a written report. If there's nothing wrong, you'll know that too.
What a CCTV Drain Survey Actually Involves
The camera goes in through a manhole, an inspection access point, or straight through a fitting if there's no cleanout nearby. It travels the full length of the pipe, recording everything. We log each fault with a distance from the entry point, so if a repair is needed, there's no digging blind.
What we're looking for:
- Root ingress, which is common in older parts of Salisbury where mature trees sit close to clay drainage runs
- Displaced or cracked joints, often caused by ground movement or decades of settlement
- Collapsed pipe sections, particularly in older Victorian-era terraces across Fisherton Anger and St Edmund
- Grease or fat build-up that jetting alone hasn't shifted
- Incorrect falls, where a pipe is running flat and retaining solids, or back-sloping and actively pushing waste the wrong way (two different problems, though both show up on camera)
- Illegal connections or poorly routed drainage from previous building work
Once the camera's out, you get a written report with a condition rating, annotated footage you can share with a builder, insurer, or solicitor, and a clear recommendation on next steps. Push-rod cameras record pipe condition and defect locations accurately; pipe diameter figures in the report are based on the known nominal size of the pipe type identified, not a direct camera measurement.
When a Survey Makes Sense
Not every drainage problem needs a survey first. A one-off blockage usually doesn't. But some situations make it the only sensible starting point.
Recurring blockages are one. If a drain clears and then blocks again within weeks, there's a structural reason behind it. Jetting the same section twice a year isn't solving anything.
Ground movement is another. Properties in Stratford-sub-Castle and along the Avon valley floor sit on ground that shifts slowly over years. Cracked or displaced joints turn up regularly in those areas during surveys.
Before building work or laying new hard surfaces, it's worth knowing exactly where your drainage runs and whether it can take additional loading. Finding a collapsed section after the foundations are poured is a bad day.
Insurance claims for drainage damage need evidence. A CCTV report gives your insurer something concrete to work with rather than an estimate from memory.
Pre-Purchase Surveys: What You're Actually Buying
A homebuyer's survey rarely looks at the drains in any detail. A dedicated pre-purchase CCTV drain survey covers the private drainage serving the property, from the house to the public sewer connection, including internal inspection chambers and lateral drains as far as camera access allows.
The report is written in plain English. It notes the pipe material and condition at each section, flags defects with their distance from the access point, and gives a clear recommendation: no action needed, monitor, or repair required. Solicitors, estate agents, and buyers all use them, either to negotiate repairs before exchange or to decide whether to proceed.
| Property type | What a survey typically reveals |
|---|---|
| Victorian terrace in St Francis or Milford | Whether original clay pipes are cracked, offset, or root-damaged |
| 1960s–80s semi in Bishopdown or Bemerton Heath | Root intrusions from garden trees, or failed push-fit joints in the main lateral |
| Rural property in Laverstock, Netherhampton, or Downton | Condition of private drains, distance to the sewer connection, any shared drain responsibilities |
| Any property with a history of slow drainage | Whether the cause is structural or a build-up that can be cleared |
If faults are found, you're in a much stronger negotiating position before you sign anything.
Salisbury Areas Where We Survey Regularly
We carry out CCTV drain surveys throughout Salisbury city centre, Harnham, East Harnham, Bemerton, Bemerton Heath, Fisherton Anger, Bishopdown, Milford, St Martin, the Friary, Churchfields, and St Edmund. Outside the city, we cover Laverstock, Quidhampton, Wilton, Netherhampton, Winterbourne, Downton, Amesbury, and Tisbury, among others. SP1 or SP2, we'll get there.
Older properties in the central streets and the Victorian terraces around Fisherton Anger and St Edmund tend to show the highest rate of structural defects, mostly cracked or displaced clay pipes. Newer estates in Bishopdown and Bemerton Heath more often turn up root ingress from garden trees or failed joints.
What Happens After the Survey
The report lands with you the same day in most cases, or the next working day. If it shows a repair is needed, we quote for that separately. Drain repairs and relining carry a 20-year guarantee on the remedial work. If the survey shows the drain is clear and structurally sound, you've got that confirmed in writing.
We don't push you into repairs. The report is yours. Take it to another contractor if you'd prefer. Most people don't, but that's the point: the evidence is independent of whatever decision you make next.
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Engineers are available across SP1 and SP2 seven days a week. Survey prices are agreed on the phone before we arrive, with no surprises on the invoice. Call 01722 449093 to book or to talk through what you need.