Blocked Drains & Drain Unblocking In Derby

In Derby the public sewers belong to Severn Trent Water. If the blockage is in a pipe you share with a neighbour, or beyond your boundary, it's normally the water company's to clear — call Severn Trent on 0800 783 4444. If it's in a drain that serves only your property, it's yours, and that's where we come in. Our engineer finds the blockage first and tells you whose it is before any work starts.

Water pooling around a road gully outside? Road drains are Derby City Council's responsibility — report it to the council. We clear private gullies, channels and manholes anywhere in City Centre, Allestree, Alvaston, Allenton and the rest of DE1, DE3, DE21–DE24, DE65, DE72 and DE73.

Derby City Council's newest flood risk study, published in December 2025, looked at Severn Trent's sewer flooding records from 1999 to early 2025. Three postcodes stood out: DE22 with 100 recorded incidents, DE21 with 75 and DE24 with 42. The report is clear that the weather isn't the only cause. It lists blockages, collapses, equipment failures and groundwater leaking into pipes alongside heavy rain.

Severn Trent says its crews cleared 28,782 blockages in a single year. Its "Be a Binner, Not a Blocker" campaign names the usual causes: wet wipes, sanitary products, nappies and cooking fat that sets hard in the pipe. One of its engineers made a point that matters on Derby's shared rear runs. Sewers connect several homes, so the house that floods isn't always the one that caused the blockage, and the householder can still be left paying for the clean-up.

When we clear a drain in Derby, we show you what came out of it. If it was wipes or fat, the fix is free: change what goes down the sink and toilet. If it was roots, scale or a broken joint, we'll tell you, because that kind of blockage tends to come back. Unblocking starts from £120 + VAT.