Blocked drains are at best, an unpleasant problem and at worst, a major disruption to business operations or home life. The first signs of a drain blockage are usually unpleasant odours, and the slow drainage of water from sinks. If untreated, this can turn into flooding, waste water back up, or overflowing gullies. We recommend CCTV drain surveys in Bedfordshire wherever an accurate diagnosis and prompt solution are required.
We’re lucky enough to live in a society where the smells and diseases associated with poorly functioning drainage are a thing of the past. But we don’t have to go that far back in our history to find less sanitary conditions.
In the early 1800s the River Thames was little more than an open drain, and Londoners were forced to leave London for fear of cholera and other waste-related diseases. By 1858 the flow of sewage into the Thames had reached its peak and ‘the great stink’ brought the city to a standstill. This was turning point. By 1866 the Bazalgette sewer network had been installed to divert sewage away from the river and into treatment plants.