CCTV drain surveys in London
A camera in the pipe and a recording you can use — for repeat blockages, pre-purchase checks and insurance claims.
Service overview
A camera survey answers the question clearing a drain cannot: is this pipe damaged, or was that just a build-up?
It matters because the two need completely different money spending on them. A build-up is a cleaning job. A displaced joint, a fractured section or roots growing through are repairs, and no amount of jetting fixes them permanently.
You get the recording and a written report, which is what an insurer or a conveyancing solicitor will ask for.
We work across Greater London and north Surrey, including Croydon, Bromley, Sutton, Orpington and Wimbledon. Gas Safe engineers do every gas job. See the gallery, about us or get in touch.
Get a quoteSigns you need cctv drain survey
- The same drain has blocked more than once
- You are buying a property with older drainage
- An insurer has asked for evidence before authorising a repair
- Subsidence or a sinking area of ground near a drain run
- A drain cleared much harder than it should have
- You need to know whose drain it is before paying for work
What a survey actually shows
The camera goes in at an inspection chamber or an accessible point and runs the length of the pipe, recording as it goes. What comes back is the condition of the pipe wall, the state of the joints, any roots that have found their way in, standing water where the fall is wrong, and any fractures or collapses.
It also establishes layout. Older London properties frequently have drainage that does not match any drawing anyone has, with runs added over a century of extensions and conversions. Knowing where the pipe actually goes is half the value of the survey.
Pre-purchase surveys
A standard homebuyer's survey does not look inside the drains. On a Victorian or Edwardian property with original clay drainage, that is a meaningful gap — drain repairs run into serious money and they are not visible from the surface.
If you are buying and the property is period stock, a drain survey before exchange is one of the cheaper pieces of due diligence available. It either gives you peace of mind or gives you something concrete to negotiate with.
Whose drain is it
Since 2011 most shared drains and lateral drains outside the property boundary transferred to the water company. That means a defect on that section may well be theirs to fix rather than yours to pay for.
A survey establishes where the defect actually sits relative to the boundary, which is exactly the evidence needed to have that conversation with the water company. People pay for repairs they did not owe simply because nobody established where the problem was.
How the visit goes
Access the run
Survey from an inspection chamber or accessible point. The drain may need clearing first to get a usable picture.
Record the full length
Camera run through the pipe, recording condition, joints, roots and falls.
Locate any defect
Depth and position traced to the surface, so a repair can be dug in the right place.
Report and footage
Written report plus the recording, in a form insurers and solicitors accept.
Standards this work is held to
Drain ownership since 2011
Most shared and lateral drains transferred to water company ownership in October 2011. A defect beyond your boundary may be theirs to repair.
Victorian clay drainage
Rigid clay pipe with mortar joints is still in the ground across much of older London, and it is where root ingress and joint displacement come from.
Standard domestic drain sizes
Domestic foul drains typically run at 100mm, with 150mm on shared and combined runs. Waste branches inside the property are usually 32mm, 40mm or 50mm depending on the fixture.
Fall and standing water
A foul drain needs consistent fall to run clear. Where a section has settled, water stands and solids drop out of suspension, which is a common finding on runs over 50 years old.
CCTV drain survey: common questions
Related to CCTV drain survey
Areas we cover
We work across Greater London and north Surrey, including Croydon, Bromley, Sutton, Orpington and Wimbledon. Pick your town.
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