Emergency drain clearance from engineers on the road 24/7 across SG4, SG5 and the surrounding villages. Kit sized for narrow lanes and tight courtyards, and if we can't fix it, you don't pay.
Four details is all we need. No obligation, no call out charge.
If wastewater is backing up into the property, call us first — then follow these steps to limit the damage.
Call our emergency lineFrom a slow kitchen sink to collapsed pipework under the drive, engineers covering Hitchin arrive with jetting units, rods and camera kit on board — so the problem gets diagnosed and cleared in the same visit wherever possible.
Internal blockages cleared with rodding and electro-mechanical kit, then the branch checked beyond the fixture.
Kitchen & bathroom unblocking →Gullies, waste stacks, manholes and underground runs that stand full or overflow after rain.
Outdoor unblocking →Camera footage that locates cracks, root intrusion and collapses, with a plain-English report.
CCTV surveys →Scours fat, silt and scale off the pipe wall so the drain stays clear for far longer than rodding alone.
Water jetting →No-dig patch liners and localised repairs for damaged pipework — no excavating the drive or patio.
Repairs & patchlining →Hard water scale descaled from pipework and urinals to restore flow and remove odours.
Limescale cleaning →No automated queues and no vague arrival windows. You speak to someone who knows the Hitchin patch and can tell you when an engineer will be with you.
You'll be told the price before work starts, shown what caused the blockage, and if we can't clear it there's nothing to pay.
Call, WhatsApp or send the quote form with your postcode and which fixtures are affected. We will give you a price and an arrival time on that first call.
Your engineer checks the chambers and the affected runs to work out exactly where the restriction is, using a camera if the cause is not obvious.
We clear the drain, flow-test it, show you what caused it, and flag anything in the pipework that could cause it to happen again.
I never write reviews but I had to for this one. Blocked sink and toilet — a lovely polite man came and unblocked everything in just an hour. Very happy!
Got there really quick and fixed my drain in under 30 minutes. The lads were efficient and personable. Amazing service, would definitely recommend.
Honest company and same day service. Sorted everything out quickly. Highly recommend this company to others.
A blocked drain in Hitchin follows the same pattern as anywhere else — a sink that drains to a standstill, a toilet that gurgles when the bath empties, a gully overflowing by the back step after rain — but clearing it here often comes with a complication that has nothing to do with the pipe itself: getting the right equipment close enough to work. Our job is to locate the restriction, reach it with the correct method, and tell you honestly whether the pipe needs repair rather than just another rod through.
We cover Hitchin and the surrounding Hertfordshire area as part of Blockage Busters, a family run drainage company with more than thirty years of experience across the South East. In practice that means an engineer with a fully stocked van — high pressure water jetting, HD CCTV survey kit, electro-mechanical rodding and no-dig patch lining — arriving at a town whose lanes, listed frontages and older pipework each shape how the work has to be done.
Every call out across Hitchin arrives with jetting, rodding and camera equipment on board — so most jobs are diagnosed and cleared on the first visit, with no return trip for parts.
Access is the first thing we weigh up in Hitchin, and it often matters more than the blockage itself. The historic core around the market and the older streets running off it were never laid out for large vehicles, so a full-size jetting tanker frequently cannot get within reach of the chamber it needs to serve. Rather than force the issue, we work it the sensible way: a smaller van parked where it will not obstruct the lane, longer hose runs fed in from the nearest safe standing, and jetting or rodding delivered down the line from there. Reaching a surcharged chamber tucked behind a period terrace or in a shared rear courtyard is as much about planning the approach as it is about clearing the pipe, and knowing the reach limits of the hose before we arrive saves a wasted visit.
Much of Hitchin's older stock sits within or beside listed and conservation-area buildings, where the ground above the drain is anything but ordinary — original brick paving, flagstones, cellar heads and shallow-buried runs against old walls. That fabric governs the method. We favour no-dig approaches wherever the pipe allows, clearing and then relining or patching from inside so that historic surfaces stay put, because lifting a period path or excavating against a listed wall is rarely a step to take lightly and may carry consents of its own. Where a defect genuinely needs opening up, we say so plainly and keep any disturbance to the smallest footprint the repair will bear.
The age that gives Hitchin its character also shapes its drainage faults. A lot of the older properties run in jointed vitrified clay, laid in short lengths with a joint every metre or so, and those joints are where trouble starts as the pipe ages. Roots from mature trees and hedges find the smallest gap and work in until the bore is choked; ground movement over decades displaces a joint or drops an invert, leaving a lip that snags wipes, grease and debris until the line blocks solid. Rodding will clear the immediate obstruction, but the snag point stays, so it returns. A CCTV survey shows exactly which joint or section is at fault so the right repair, rather than a repeated clear, can be planned.
Some drainage problems can wait for a morning slot; others cannot. If wastewater is rising through a toilet or shower, if several fixtures have stopped together, or if an outside gully is surcharging near a doorway, that is an emergency and it needs attention before it reaches floors and cavities. Our emergency line is answered by a real person around the clock, weekends and bank holidays included, and we aim to have an engineer covering Hitchin with you quickly for genuine emergencies. While you wait, stop running water into the affected system and keep caustic products away from a pipe that is already blocked — on standing water they simply become a hazard for whoever opens the chamber.
Local engineers on call across Hitchin 24 hours a day, including weekends and bank holidays.
If we can't clear it you don't pay. Rated 4.9 out of 5 by customers across the South East.
Quoted before we start, no call out fee, and all major cards accepted at the door.
Our engineers work across SG4 and SG5 and the neighbouring villages and towns, usually within the hour:
Not listed? We almost certainly still cover you — call 07379 424 891 with your postcode and we'll confirm straight away.
For genuine emergencies in Hitchin we aim to have an engineer with you within the hour, and we answer the phone 24 hours a day including weekends and bank holidays. Actual timings depend on traffic, your postcode and engineer availability, so call with your location and a description of the problem and we will give you a realistic arrival time rather than a vague window.
Every job is quoted before any work starts, and there is never a call out fee. The price depends on where the blockage is, how it needs to be cleared and whether access is straightforward, so the fastest way to get an accurate figure is to describe the symptoms over the phone. Our no fix no fee guarantee means if we cannot clear the blockage, you pay nothing at all.
We are a 24 hour drainage company and we quote on the job, not the clock. You will be told the price before the engineer starts, so there are no surprise out-of-hours surcharges added afterwards.
As a general rule you are responsible for the drains within your property boundary, while shared lateral drains and public sewers beyond it are usually the water company's responsibility. A quick inspection of the chambers tells us which side of that line the problem sits on, and we will tell you honestly if it is a matter for your water provider instead of charging you for work you do not need.
A blockage that returns normally means the pipework has a defect catching waste — a cracked section, a displaced joint, root intrusion or heavy scale. Clearing it repeatedly treats the symptom. A CCTV drain survey shows exactly what and where the defect is, and many can then be repaired with a patch liner without digging up the garden or driveway.
Usually, yes. A good deal of Hitchin's old town cannot take a full-size jetting tanker, so we plan the approach differently: a smaller van parked clear of the lane, and longer hose runs fed in from the nearest safe standing to reach the chamber. Jetting and rodding both work over an extended hose, within sensible reach limits, which is why we ask about access when you call. Knowing where a van can stand and how far the run is beforehand means we turn up with the right setup rather than finding out on the day.
Older Hitchin homes often have jointed vitrified clay drains, and it is the joints that cause trouble as they age — roots work in, ground movement displaces a section, and a dropped invert leaves a lip that catches grease and wipes. Rodding clears the symptom but the snag point stays, so it blocks again. A short CCTV survey shows precisely which joint is at fault, and a no-dig patch liner can usually seal it from inside, which matters where the ground above is period paving or sits against a listed wall best left undisturbed.
Our team answers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Free quote, no call out fee, and no fix no fee on every job in Hitchin.