Blocked Drains in Crawley: 24/7 Drain Unblocking from Purley
Blocked toilet, sink backing up or a manhole overflowing? We clear drains across RH10, from Three Bridges and Pound Hill to Maidenbower, Tilgate, Furnace Green and Worth. We come from Purley, straight down the M23, so we're usually with you within the hour. The engineer agrees a fixed price with you before starting, and there's no standard call-out fee. We only do drains, not boilers or leaks.
- ~1 hr
- Usual arrival
- £0
- Standard call-out fee
- 890+
- Customer reviews
- 24/7
- 365 days a year
5.0 on Google · 9.76 on Checkatrade
What's Under Crawley's Streets
Crawley became a new town in 1947, and most RH10 neighbourhoods were built in the 1950s and 1960s: Three Bridges, Pound Hill, Furnace Green, Tilgate. Those estates run on clay and early plastic drains that are now 60 or more years old, often on long shared runs behind the houses. Maidenbower came later, in the 1980s and 1990s, on modern plastic pipe that blocks from build-up rather than failure.
The ground is mostly Weald clay, which shrinks in dry summers and swells in wet winters. That movement eases old joints apart, and roots from the mature trees in Worth and Pound Hill find the gaps.
So the right fix for a 1960s clay run in Tilgate isn't the same as for a blocked trap in Maidenbower. Slow drains, gurgling and a faint smell are the early warnings; left alone, sewage can back up into the house.
Drain Unblocking for Crawley Homes and Businesses
Clearing the surface blockage is the easy bit. We clear the full bore of the pipe and then check why it blocked.
Toilets & Sinks
Blocked toilet, basin or kitchen sink cleared with hand and mechanical tools, without damaging the pan or pipework.
Drain unblockingHigh-Pressure Jetting
For set fat, grease and silt. The jet scours the pipe back to a full-bore flow.
JettingRepairs & No-Dig Relining
When the pipe itself is the problem, we patch or reline it without tearing up the garden.
Drain repairs24-Hour Call-Outs
Sewage backing up at 2am? We answer every night of the year, and any out-of-hours charge is agreed before we attend.
24-hour emergencyPlanned Cleaning
For landlords and commercial sites, regular jetting stops blockages before they start.
Drain cleaningSewer Backup
Sewage coming up through a gully or manhole. We clear it and tell you whose pipe it's in.
Sewer backupWhat Blocks Drains in Crawley
Tree roots
Common in leafy Worth and Pound Hill, where roots push into the joints of older pipes looking for water.
Fat and grease
Cooking fat cools and hardens inside kitchen drains, narrowing the pipe until it stops.
"Flushable" wipes
They don't break down, and they're the biggest single cause of blocked toilets and soil pipes we see.
Pipes that have shifted
Older clay pipes crack or drop as the clay ground moves, and debris snags on the step. We check what the pipe is doing before anyone talks about digging; our guide to collapsed drains explains the signs.
Please skip the shop-bought drain chemicals. They usually bore a narrow hole through the blockage, and on old pipework they can damage the joints.
Your Drain or Thames Water's?
Thames Water runs the public sewers in Crawley. Crawley Borough Council draws the line like this: a private drain takes waste from one property only. Once it joins a pipe from another property, or runs past your boundary before it joins, it counts as a sewer.
A blockage in your own drain is yours to clear, or your landlord's if you rent. A blockage in the sewer goes to Thames Water on 0800 316 9800. If you can't tell which part is blocked, our engineer can find the section before you decide who to call.
Commercial Drain Unblocking in RH10
From the industrial estates on the Gatwick side of town to the retail units in the centre, a blocked drain can mean lost trade or a forced closure.
- Restaurants, offices, managed buildings and letting agents
- We work around opening hours and keep disruption to staff and customers low
- Planned jetting for kitchens and busy sites, so problems are caught early
- Our own engineers, no subcontractors
Our Step-by-Step RH10 Drain Service
- 1
Talk to us
You speak to the people who do the work, not a call centre, and get an arrival time.
- 2
Look first
The engineer checks the covers and the run and finds what's causing the blockage.
- 3
Fixed price, then clear
We explain what we'll do and what it costs, then clear the full bore of the pipe.
- 4
Test and advise
We test the run, tidy up, and leave you with tips to stop it happening again.
Oh yes Freddie helped unblock my kitchen sink and other pipes to the outside drain yesterday, He was very professional, friendly and did the work quickly and efficiently. He was clean in his work and did a great job ! … Mr S. Patel. Crawley, West Sussex United Kingdom.
Preventative Maintenance for RH10 Drains
The cheapest blockage is the one that never happens. A hair catcher in the shower, never pouring cooking oil down the sink, and keeping wipes out of the toilet go a long way.
For larger houses or homes with mature gardens, a yearly check catches root ingress and early pipe damage before it becomes a blockage. Our seasonal drain maintenance checklist walks through what to do and when.
Covering Crawley and the Wider RH Postcodes
Three Bridges, Pound Hill, Maidenbower, Furnace Green, Tilgate, Worth, Copthorne and Crawley Down. For Bewbush, Broadfield, Ifield and the rest of the west side, see our West Crawley RH11 page. We also cover the neighbouring areas below.
Drain Unblocking in RH10: Your Questions Answered
Do you charge a call-out fee in RH10?
There's no standard call-out fee in Crawley or anywhere in RH10. The engineer agrees a fixed price with you before starting, so you know what you'll pay before any work begins.
How quickly can you reach Crawley?
We come from Purley, straight down the M23, and we're usually with you within the hour, day or night. Call with your postcode and we'll give you an arrival time.
What causes most blocked drains in Crawley homes?
Fat and grease, wet wipes, hair, tree roots and pipes that have shifted. Many RH10 houses were built in the 1950s and 1960s and still have clay drains, which are prone to roots and joint movement, so we find the cause as well as clearing the blockage.
Who clears a blocked sewer in Crawley?
Thames Water. Crawley Borough Council's guidance is that a drain serving only your property is yours to clear, and a blockage in the sewer, the part shared with other properties, goes to Thames Water on 0800 316 9800. We can tell you which section is blocked before you decide.
Do you work nights and weekends in RH10?
Yes. We answer 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays. There's no standard call-out fee, and any emergency or out-of-hours charge is agreed before we attend.
What's the difference between unblocking and repair?
Unblocking clears an obstruction so the drain flows again. Repair fixes damage to the pipe itself, such as cracks, collapse or failed joints. If a drain keeps blocking, the pipe is often the real problem. We do both, including no-dig relining.
Blocked Drain in Crawley Right Now?
A blocked drain left alone gets worse, not better. Call or message us and we'll give you an arrival time and a fixed price, with no standard call-out fee.
Drainage & Plumbing Ltd · Brighton Road, Purley CR8 2BA · Serving Crawley, West Sussex and the South East
Ash came to unblock the drain with an hour's notice. He was super friendly, knowledgeable and cleaned up after himself.
Fantastic company. Farhad came to unblock our drains in Croydon. He arrived on time, was very polite and explained everything really well, then carried out a drain unblocking inspection to make sure everything was cleared.
Fahad was amazing. I had a blocked external drain and he was super helpful getting it resolved. Could not have done more to help, and charged a very reasonable price.
Absolutely brilliant company. They came out the same day and resolved the issue within a few hours. Very reasonably priced too. Highly recommend the team!
Brilliant service! I left a message on Good Friday at 2:30pm and by 5pm everything was sorted. Saved my Easter. Highly recommend.
They came within the hour to unblock my outside sewage manhole. Very respectful, knowledgeable and efficient. Reasonably priced. Would definitely use again.
Nearby Areas We Cover
We also provide emergency drain unblocking, jetting, cleaning and repairs in these nearby areas: