No-dig (trenchless) drainage
Repair drains without
ripping up the driveway,
lawn or patio
Patch lining, full CIPP relining and pipe bursting across Kent. We fix damaged drains through existing manholes — most jobs finished in a day, with a 25-year design life on the repair.
What it covers
Modern trenchless drain repair — full structural fixes without excavation
The traditional answer to a damaged drain — dig up the entire run, replace the pipe, reinstate the driveway — is rarely the right one in 2026. Most defects are short, localised cracks, displaced joints or root ingress, and almost all of them can be repaired permanently through existing manholes using modern no-dig techniques.
Our trenchless work covers patch lining for short defects (typically 0.5m to 1m sections), full CIPP relining for runs up to 30m, junction repairs for displaced laterals, and pipe bursting where a full like-for-like replacement is needed without trenching. Every job starts with a WRc-standard CCTV survey to confirm the defect is suitable for no-dig.
The advantages over excavation are significant: no driveway dug up, no garden destroyed, most jobs completed in a single day, and a 25–50 year design life on the repair. Cost is typically 30–60% lower than the equivalent excavation once reinstatement is factored in.
What happens if you wait
Excavating when you didn't need to costs you the driveway, the lawn and a week off work
Most drain defects are small. The drain run is long. Choosing to excavate when a no-dig repair would have worked turns a one-day patch into a two-week project with a skip on the drive, fresh tarmac that doesn't quite match, and a lawn that won't look right until next summer.
Lifting a block-paved driveway and putting it back routinely runs to £2,000–£4,000. The drain repair itself is the smaller bill.
Open excavation regularly hits gas, electric, water and telecoms — adding cost, delay and danger.
Driveway closed, garden destroyed, two weeks of mess — when a one-day patch liner would have solved the same defect.
Common mistakes we fix every week
- Excavating before a CCTV survey has confirmed the location and length of the defect.
- Choosing dig-and-replace because a contractor doesn't have the no-dig kit.
- Trying to patch a fully collapsed pipe — patch liners need a structurally sound host pipe.
- Using a felt liner where a glass-reinforced liner is required for structural credit.
- Skipping the post-cure CCTV pass and assuming the liner is right.
- Pipe-bursting through unknown ground without service-trace and risk assessment.
Our process
A predictable, step-by-step system — no surprises, no upsells
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STEP 01CCTV survey
WRc-standard survey to locate the defect precisely and confirm it's suitable for no-dig.
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STEP 02Specify repair
Patch liner, full reline, junction repair or pipe burst — chosen for the defect, length and access.
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STEP 03Pre-clean the host pipe
High-pressure jetting and root cutting to leave a clean, sound pipe for the liner to bond to.
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STEP 04Install and cure
Resin-saturated liner inserted, inflated and cured in place — typically 1–4 hours depending on length.
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STEP 05Verify on camera
Post-cure CCTV pass, footage and written report — workmanship guarantee in writing.
What you get
Concrete outcomes — not vague promises
Driveways, lawns and patios stay intact — most jobs worked through existing manholes.
Patch liners typically completed in a single visit. Full relines 1–2 days.
Once reinstatement is factored in, no-dig is usually 30–60% cheaper than excavation.
Structural liners carry a 25–50 year design life — outlasting many of the host pipes they sit in.
Pre and post-cure footage and written reports formatted for insurer and warranty purposes.
Workmanship guarantee of up to 5 years on the installation, plus the liner's design-life warranty.
Technical detail
The main no-dig techniques — and which one fits which defect
'No-dig' isn't one technique — it's a family of them. Picking the right one depends on the defect type, the pipe diameter, the length of damage and the access available. A good drainage company chooses the technique to fit the defect, not the other way round.
Patch lining (localised repair)
A resin-saturated fibreglass sleeve, typically 0.5m to 1m long, is inserted on a packer through an existing manhole, positioned over the defect, inflated and cured. The result is a structural patch bonded to the host pipe with the same internal diameter — and a 25-year design life. Suitable for cracks, displaced joints and small root ingress.
Full CIPP relining
Where damage runs along a longer section, the whole pipe is relined with a continuous resin-impregnated felt or fibreglass liner cured in place. The result is essentially a new pipe inside the old one. Suitable for runs up to roughly 30m through standard manhole access.
- Continuous structural lining for long defects
- Felt liners for non-structural relining
- Glass-reinforced (GRP) liners for full structural credit
- UV-cured options where steam or hot water cure isn't suitable
Junction and lateral repair
Displaced or open junctions at lateral connections (typically where a household drain joins the main run) need specialist liners that cover both the main and the lateral. We use t-liners and hat-profile liners depending on the geometry — finished with a post-cure CCTV pass.
Pipe bursting (full replacement, no trench)
Where the host pipe is too far gone for lining — typically full collapses or major distortion — pipe bursting pulls a new pipe through the old route, fracturing the existing pipe outwards as it goes. Done from two small access pits at the ends of the run, with no continuous trench. Suitable for drainage, water and gas mains.
Frequently asked
Straight answers to the questions Kent homeowners ask us most
Can any damaged drain be fixed with no-dig?+
Most can. The host pipe needs to be structurally sound enough to support a liner — fully collapsed pipes typically need pipe bursting or short excavation. A CCTV survey confirms which technique fits.
How long does a patch liner take to install?+
From arrival to driving away, most patch liners are a 3–5 hour job. The cure itself is 60–120 minutes depending on resin and temperature.
What's the design life of a relined drain?+
Patch liners and full CIPP relines have a 25–50 year design life depending on liner type and pipe conditions. Many liners outlast the host pipes they sit in.
Will the repair reduce my drain's diameter?+
Marginally — typically 3–6mm of internal diameter is lost to the liner thickness. This has no practical effect on a normally sized drain.
Is no-dig cheaper than excavation?+
In almost every case yes, once reinstatement (driveways, paving, lawns) is factored in. Typical savings are 30–60%.
Will the repair pass a homebuyer drain survey?+
Yes — properly installed liners and patches are visible on CCTV as completed repairs and are accepted by surveyors, solicitors and insurers.
Do you handle the WRc reporting?+
Yes. Every no-dig job ends with a WRc-standard CCTV pass and written report, with footage on request.
What areas do you cover?+
Kent, Medway, South-East London and the wider Home Counties. Our no-dig vehicles are deployed daily across this region.
Related services
Areas we cover
Fix the drain — not the driveway.
No-dig repair quoted from CCTV. Most jobs finished in a day, with workmanship and liner warranties in writing.
Fully insured · Workmanship guarantee · 7 days a week