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Henley-on-Thames · 24 hour drainage

Drainage Services in Henley-on-Thames

Drain unblocking, descaling, camera surveys and no-dig repairs across Henley, Shiplake and the RG9 villages. Open every hour of every day, and you speak to the engineer doing the work.

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Local drainage support

24hrs Drainage covers Henley-on-Thames and the surrounding RG9 villages every hour of every day, for homes and businesses. Engineers clear blocked drains, cut scale out of narrowed pipes, run camera surveys and repair damage without digging, and the base near Reading sits about eight miles from the town. Every job gets a fixed price before any work starts.

Henley and the RG9 villages 24 hour response Fixed price agreed first
24hrs Drainage technician attending an emergency drain repair call-out

What to do first

Stop using water before you do anything else

The kitchen sink empties slowly on Friday. On Saturday the shower stands. By Sunday night the downstairs toilet is gurgling and there is water sitting in the gully by the back door. That pipe has been closing up for months, and the weekend is simply when it gave up. Every flush and every tap from this point pushes more into a system with nowhere to put it.

  1. Turn the taps off, stop flushing, and pause the washing machine and dishwasher.

  2. Keep people and pets away from anything that has come back up.

  3. Leave foul water where it is. Clearing it yourself spreads it further.

Then phone. Someone will talk you through it while an engineer is already on the road.

Call 0800 020 9198

Local drainage problems

Four reasons Henley drains keep blocking

Henley sits in a valley cut through the Chiltern chalk, with the Thames running along one side of it. Both of those facts shape what goes wrong with drains here, and both are why the same faults keep coming back on the same streets. Knowing which one is behind your blockage is what stops you paying twice.

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Henley water is hard enough to narrow your pipes

Water in the RG9 postcode district runs at around 327.7 milligrams per litre of calcium carbonate, which sits well inside the very hard band and above the Thames Water regional average. That is the Chiltern chalk doing its work. Thames Water puts the hardness down to the chalk and limestone (opens in a new tab) the supply passes through, and even advises turning hot water down to 60 degrees to slow the build-up.

Here is the part people miss. Scale does not block a pipe by itself. It narrows the bore, and then the fat and wipes that used to sail straight through start catching on the rough surface. That is why a scaled drain blocks again a few months after it was jetted. Cutting the scale out is what actually stops the cycle.

The river does not have to flood to block your drain

Henley sits inside the Environment Agency flood warning area for the River Thames at Henley, Remenham and Medmenham. Warnings for this reach regularly name Bolney Road, Basmore Lane and Lower Shiplake. In January 2024, during Storm Henk, the Thames at Reading hit 7.54 metres, beating the 7.41 metre high set back in January 2003.

When the river is that high, a lot of blocked drains are not blocked at all. The sewer cannot discharge into a river that is already full, so foul water backs up into whatever fitting sits lowest in the building. Jetting it does nothing, and a firm that does not know the difference will still charge you for trying. The proper fix is a non-return valve, so the water cannot come back the other way.

Groundwater arrives from the whole Chiltern catchment

Chalk soaks up rain like a sponge and lets it go slowly. After a long wet spell the water table under the valley rises, and that water finds its way into pipes through cracked joints and old repairs. The rain that causes it may have fallen miles away across the Chilterns, which is why a drain can start playing up on a dry week.

Groundwater in a drain run shows up as flow that never quite clears, or blockages that return every winter and behave themselves all summer. A camera survey is the only way to see where it is getting in.

Old houses, cellars, and pipes you cannot dig up

Roughly a quarter of Henley homes were built before 1900, and a good many of those still run on their original clay drains. Clay cracks, joints pull apart, and roots find the gaps. On the older town-centre buildings, the drain run often passes underneath a cellar floor.

That matters more than it sounds. If a pipe has failed under a cellar, digging is off the table, so the camera has to go down before anybody can honestly quote a repair. Any firm that quotes a price for a repair without looking first is guessing. If your house is that age and the drains have never been surveyed, it is worth getting them checked before you exchange, or before problems start.

Services in this area

Six jobs we get called out for most around Henley

Whatever has gone wrong, and whatever time it is, we carry the kit to sort it.

long drain jetting hose laid across a field to a maintenance job

Round-the-Clock Emergency Call-Outs

A flooded kitchen at 3am or a backed-up drain on a bank holiday gets the same answer. We pick up, price the job on the phone where we can, and set off. You can call an engineer out at any hour.

Emergency drain call-outs
engineer running a CCTV drain survey on site

Blocked Drain Clearing

Fat, wipes, silt, hair and roots all end up in Henley drains. High-pressure jetting cuts through the lot, and most blockages clear in one visit. See how we get the blockage shifted.

Blocked drain clearing
engineer cleaning an open drain inspection chamber on site

Drain Camera Surveys

A small HD camera shows exactly what is wrong inside the pipe, so nobody guesses and nothing gets dug up needlessly. You get a clear report on the fault and where it sits. We can look inside the pipe with a camera.

CCTV drain surveys
descaling head cutting limescale from a drain pipe

Drain Descaling

Henley water is very hard, and scale builds up on the inside of pipes until the bore is half what it was. Descaling grinds it back to bare pipe. We can cut the scale back out.

Drain descaling
residential drain being relined from the inside

No-Dig Pipe Repairs

A cracked or collapsed pipe does not have to mean a dug-up drive or garden. We line the damaged section from the inside, and it sets hard as a new pipe. Read how we repair the pipe from within.

No-dig pipe repairs
drainage tanker parked at a rural property

Septic Tanks and Treatment Plants

Plenty of homes around Henley sit off the mains. We empty tanks, and where the rules now require it we can upgrade a septic tank to a treatment plant.

Septic tanks and treatment plants

Off-mains drainage

A septic tank discharging to a ditch is now against the rules

Plenty of properties in Hambleden, Fawley, Rotherfield Greys and the hill villages sit off the mains. The rules on those systems tightened in 2020, and most owners only find out when they come to sell.

24hrs Drainage tanker unblocking a drain at a property
Off-mains work covers the tank, the discharge point and the ground it drains into.
A septic tank must not discharge to a watercourse

Since 1 January 2020, a septic tank in England must not discharge straight into a stream, ditch or river. It has to be upgraded to a treatment plant certified to BS EN 12566-3, or its outflow diverted to a drainage field built to BS 6297:2007.

Those two routes are the whole choice. A treatment plant cleans the water enough to be released, and a drainage field lets it soak away through the ground. Which one suits a property depends on the ground, the space and where the nearest watercourse sits, which is why a look at the site comes before any price.

The tank is rarely the problem

One thing worth knowing before you spend money. When an off-mains system starts backing up, the tank itself is rarely the culprit. Usually the drainage field has silted up, or the tank has gone too long between empties and solids have carried over and clogged the field.

Emptying it more often will not fix a failed field. It just moves the bill down the road. A camera and a look at the field tell you which part has actually given up.

Selling the house triggers the upgrade

If the tank discharges into a watercourse, selling the property triggers the duty to upgrade it if that has not been done already. It usually surfaces during conveyancing, when the buyer's solicitor asks where the tank discharges, which is a bad moment to find out.

Check early and get a price while there is still time to choose. If the system does need replacing, we can fit a compliant treatment plant once the ground and the discharge route have been looked at.

Who pays

Half the drains in Henley are not yours to fix

Here is something most drainage firms will not tell you, because it costs them a job.

Back in October 2011, sewers and lateral drains that serve more than one property were transferred to the water companies. If your Henley terrace, flat conversion or town-centre building shares a drain run with next door, a large part of that run now belongs to Thames Water. Blockages on it are theirs to clear, at no charge to you.

There is a quick test that tells you which way this is likely to go. One fitting playing up on its own, say a single basin or one toilet, points to a fault in your own branch pipe. Several going at once, so the toilet, the shower and the outside gully all backing up together, means the blockage sits in the main run underneath the lot. That is where the shared drain is, and that is usually where the responsibility line falls.

Anyone who clears a blockage past that join and then hands you an invoice has charged you for work you never had to pay for. We will tell you which side of the line your problem sits on. If the answer is Thames Water, we will say so and point you at the right number. We would rather lose one job than take money for something you could have had for nothing.

Usually yours

Pipework inside your boundary that serves only your property, up to the point where it joins the shared run.

Usually Thames Water

Shared drains and public lateral drains past that join, including runs shared with next door.

How it works

Three steps from your call to a clear drain

Henley call-out Step 01 / 03
  1. Start here

    Call or book online

    Describe the problem, give the postcode, and you will get an idea of cost on the call itself. Booking takes about two minutes.

  2. Diagnose first

    We find the fault and quote a fixed price

    An engineer finds the fault, explains it in plain words, and gives you one figure. Nothing starts until you say yes to it.

  3. Finish the job

    We clear or repair it, then you pay

    The work gets done, the area gets left tidy, and payment happens afterwards. If something bigger turns up mid-job, everything stops and you get told before another penny is spent.

Straight pricing

Nobody should be given a price after the work is finished

Most people want a rough idea before they pick up the phone, so here it is. Around Henley, a standard domestic drain unblock with high-pressure jetting usually lands somewhere between roughly £100 and £300, depending on the job. Evening, weekend and bank holiday work sits higher, and that is true of every firm in this area. Camera surveys, descaling and no-dig repairs are priced on the job.

Once we have looked, you get one clear price, agreed before any work starts. If we open a drain and find something bigger, we stop and talk you through it before doing anything else. The figure you agree is the figure you pay. Every quote is worked out for your specific problem, so prices will vary.

Book an Engineer

Free quote, no obligation, and no charge for advice on the phone.

Reviews From Henley Customers

 
 
 
 
  EXCELLENT  
 Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5 
 Based on 138 reviews 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Google Google 
 
 Giada Castellana profile picture 
 
 
 Giada Castellana 
 
 
 
 Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
I had a great experience with Carlo. He went above and beyond to help me, even assisting me outside of normal working hours. He was extremely patient, professional, and determined to find a solution and resolve the blockage, keeping me informed throughout the process.

I really appreciated his dedication and willingness to help, and the issue was resolved efficiently thanks to his efforts. I would definitely recommend Carlo and his company to anyone looking for a reliable, professional, and customer-focused service.
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Google Google 
 
 Leanne Oconnor profile picture 
 
 
 Leanne Oconnor 
 
 
 
 Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
I phoned a few Drainage companies for a quote & carlo immediately answered & was really helpful talking me through the options for what I needed , he was able to book me in super quick & did his best to keep costs down! Would 100 % recommend
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Google Google 
 
 Rosemary Brown profile picture 
 
 
 Rosemary Brown 
 
 
 
 Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
We would have no hesitation in recommending 24hour drainage for any drainage issues. They are a professional company that have old fashion values, keeping a clean and safe work site.
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Google Google 
 
 Richard Brazell profile picture 
 
 
 Richard Brazell 
 
 
 
 Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
Had a few problems with a national company's mis-diagnosis of a drainage problem.
Called 24hr drains and had a call straight back with a quote. Great, knowledgeable guy, very personable, prompt and tidy.
Wouldn't hesitate to use again and would recommend to anyone. All the 5 star reviews are definitely justified.
Top man.
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Google Google 
 
 Nicolas Scotto Di Perto profile picture 
 
 
 Nicolas Scotto Di Perto 
 
 
 
 Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
Excellent service quality and the best price!
The person was very friendly, my drain got unclog, and I even had a guarantee (for a month or two, can't remember) that if the problem came back, they would come for free.
That's the kind of worker that you're happy to pay - highly recommended
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Google Google 
 
 Helen Judd profile picture 
 
 
 Helen Judd 
 
 
 
 Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
Reading based.

Called up, drain blockage fixed same day. Great service.
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Google Google 
 
 Imogen Ault profile picture 
 
 
 Imogen Ault 
 
 
 
 Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
Quick and good service. Fixed the blocked drain in my student house very quickly. Was helpful with my student-tenant/landlord difficulties and gave a reduced price for the fixture.
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Google Google 
 
 Kamil Reszka profile picture 
 
 
 Kamil Reszka 
 
 
 
 Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
Excellent service from 24hrs Drainage. They arrived on time, quickly identified the issue and had everything cleared and working again in no time. Friendly, professional and explained exactly what the problem was and how they fixed it. Fair pricing with no hidden costs, and they left everything clean and tidy afterwards. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone in Reading or the surrounding areas needing drainage work. Will definitely use them again if needed. Five-star service!
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Google Google 
 
 Darren Mitchell profile picture 
 
 
 Darren Mitchell 
 
 
 
 Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
Very good and reliable service
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Google Google 
 
 Christine eccleston profile picture 
 
 
 Christine eccleston 
 
 
 
 Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
Sunday morning washing to do etc.Rang  this company said he could come today in few hours.  Rang to say he was on his way, drains sorted. Explained what he was going to do. Very polite. Will certainly use him again.
drainage engineer on a local residential emergency call-out

Why choose us

What you actually get when you call

Most firms bidding for Henley work are coming from Oxford or further, or answering from a call centre. This is what the alternative looks like.

Local reach

We are eight miles away, not twenty-five.

Our base near Reading sits a short run up the A4155. Most of the firms bidding for Henley work are coming from Oxford or further, and you feel the difference on an emergency.

Fixed pricing

The price is agreed before the van doors open.

We look, we tell you what is wrong, and we give you one figure. That figure is what you pay. No clock running, no extras added at the end.

Direct contact

You talk to Carlo, not a call centre.

The person on the phone is the person who turns up and does the work. He explains the fault, the fix and the cost in plain words, and he will tell you when you do not need something.

Verified business

Fully insured and Checkatrade verified.

Public liability cover, health and safety rules followed, and the site left clean. Our Checkatrade profile is open for anybody to read.

One team

Homes, landlords and businesses, one team.

A single blocked gully in a cottage or a maintenance schedule across a portfolio, both are normal days here. Henley runs on hospitality, and the Royal Regatta has been packing six days of visitors onto the riverbank every summer since 1839, so town-centre pubs, hotels and restaurants put fat and grease through drain runs laid for far quieter buildings. A grease-blocked kitchen drain closes a food business the same day the environmental health officer sees it, and a backed-up toilet block does the same to a school or a care home. Letting agents around Henley use us for tenant call-outs and survey reports, and commercial sites can set up a planned maintenance contract that keeps the drains clear and gives them priority if something does go wrong.

Areas covered

Where we go in and around Henley

We cover the whole of Henley-on-Thames, from the town centre and the Fairmile out to the streets climbing towards the Chiltern ridge. Around it we look after Shiplake, Lower Shiplake, Harpsden, Remenham, Binfield Heath, Rotherfield Greys, Hambleden, Fawley and Nettlebed. Our base near Reading gives us a quick run in along the A4155, and we also cover Caversham and the Reading side of the river and the villages in between.

  • Henley-on-Thames
  • Shiplake
  • Lower Shiplake
  • Harpsden
  • Remenham
  • Binfield Heath
  • Rotherfield Greys
  • Hambleden
  • Fawley
  • Nettlebed
Coverage map Henley-on-Thames and the RG9 villages

Map shows the route between Henley and 24hrs Drainage in Reading.

Henley drainage FAQs

Questions we get asked before people book

Straight answers on cost, response time, conservation areas, village coverage, night call-outs and commercial work in and around Henley-on-Thames.

How much does drain unblocking cost in Henley-on-Thames?

A standard domestic unblock in this area usually falls somewhere between roughly £100 and £300, with out-of-hours work higher. We give you one fixed price before any work starts, so the figure you agree is the figure you pay. Every quote is worked out for your specific job.

You are near Reading. How quickly can you reach Henley?

Henley is about eight miles from our base, a straight run up the A4155. For emergencies we set off straight away and treat every Henley call as urgent, day or night.

Can you repair a drain in a Henley conservation area without digging?

In most cases, yes. Henley has three conservation areas, the main town area, Reading Road and St Marks Road, and no-dig lining forms a new pipe inside the old one with no excavation and nothing disturbed above ground. We survey the pipe with a camera first to confirm it is suitable.

Do you cover Shiplake, Harpsden and Hambleden?

Yes. Our drain services reach the whole RG9 area, including Shiplake, Lower Shiplake, Harpsden, Remenham, Binfield Heath, Rotherfield Greys, Hambleden, Fawley and Nettlebed.

Do you take emergency drain calls in Henley at night and weekends?

Yes. The phone is answered 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and an emergency drain in Henley gets an engineer on the road straight away rather than a slot in next week's diary. Out-of-hours work costs more than a daytime visit, and that figure is agreed with you before anyone sets off.

Do you work with Henley landlords and letting agents?

Yes. We handle tenant emergencies, run scheduled maintenance visits, and provide camera survey reports for your records across Henley and the surrounding villages.

Henley drainage help

The cheapest drain job is the one you book early

Most of the emergencies we attend in Henley were visible months before they happened. A slow sink, a gurgle, a smell after heavy rain. Getting a camera down a pipe on a quiet Tuesday costs a fraction of what a Sunday night flood costs, and it tells you exactly what you are dealing with. If something has started playing up, do not wait for it to give up.

Get Us Out Today Book a Time Online

No obligation, and you will be told plainly if the drain is not yours to pay for.

Call 0800 020 9198

Drain Services

We provide Drainage Services across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey, London, Oxfordshire, and the surrounding areas.

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If You’re Dealing With Blocked Drains Or Require Drain Repairs, You’ve Come To The Right Destination. Contact Our Team Today At 0800 0209198 For Professional Guidance And A Complimentary, No-Obligation Quote!

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