Drain Unblocking
Drain Cleaning
CCTV Drain Survey
Drain Repairs
Toilet Unblocking
A CCTV drain survey in Cornwall often reveals more than a cracked joint and hidden faults, it tells the story of where Truro and Redruth began, how their sewers evolved, and why modern storms still test the system.
Truro’s leats, floods and flood defences
Local accounts suggest hillside springs once fed medieval leats into the Kenwyn and Allen rivers, which were later burdened with runoff and waste. By the late 19th century, open cuts had largely been replaced with enclosed drains. The system held for decades, but in 1988, two severe floods submerged basements and car parks. Engineers responded with two storage dams and a tidal barrier at Newham, which still protects low-lying ground today (source: Cornwall Council).
Fast-forward to the present climate, and Truro’s steep catchment now funnels heavier, shorter bursts of rain. Cornwall Council requires a 30 % uplift in storm design intensity for new drainage infrastructure (source: Cornwall Council). Where Victorian pipes meet modern road gullies, manholes can blow and gardens back-up. A quick CCTV drain survey Truro helps planners identify stretches needing relining or a new surface-water route before the next Atlantic front barrels in. That same footage doubles as a Truro drain camera inspection, giving designers the granular data they need for Truro drainage survey services and any follow-up works.
Redruth: mines beneath the high street
Local accounts suggest hillside springs once fed medieval leats into the Kenwyn and Allen rivers, which were later burdened with runoff and waste. By the late 19th century, open cuts had largely been replaced with enclosed drains. The system held for decades, but in 1988, two severe floods submerged basements and car parks. Engineers responded with two storage dams and a tidal barrier at Newham, which still protects low-lying ground today (source: Cornwall Council).
Any CCTV drainage survey Redruth teams undertake, (even a quick Redruth drain CCTV inspection), starts by tracing the layout of the Great County Adit.
Redruth’s drainage began in the subterranean world of The Great County Audit a near-horizontal tunnel begun in 1748 that eventually stretched almost forty miles to drain over sixty tin mines, as well documented in Cornwall’s mining archive . Later brick sewers tapped into that adit, and groundwater still finds its way back during wet spells. Silt, iron deposits and occasional mine-water backflow make CCTV drain survey Redruth footage a patchwork of Victorian clay collars and mineral-stained adit walls.
Surface-water risk maps flag Redruth as a Critical Drainage Area , according to South West Water. Heavy showers quickly overwhelm small side pipes; even one root-bound collar can push runoff back toward cellars Maintenance is risk-based and targeted, with increased attention to problematic areas, whereas regular drain survey Redruth are not universally scheduled by the council.
Why the lens still matters
A cornwall drain survey threads a self-levelling camera through mixed-age runs, capturing fractures thinner than a pencil tip. Footage replaces guesswork: builders know when to patch or reline, homeowners get lender-approved reports before exchange, and councils can plan new attenuation to meet the 30 % design uplift.
