Blocked drains and drainage services across Dorset
One team based in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, covering the county. Before you ring, see how long we take to reach your town and who owns which drain.
- Arrival times shown town by town
- One price list for the county
- Wessex Water rules in plain English
For blocked drains in Dorset, the first thing worth knowing is how far away the engineer is. Ours are based in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, in the south-east corner of the county, so the nearer you are to that stretch of coast, the sooner we arrive. Further west we still come, but we'd rather give you a real time than a hopeful one.
My Local Drainage is part of the OneFlow Drainage group, and jobs are carried out by engineers from OneFlow Drainage.
How quickly we reach your part of Dorset
| Town | Road distance from where our engineers are based | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch | Where our engineers are based | usually within 60 minutes |
| Ferndown | About 5 miles from Bournemouth | usually within 60 minutes |
| Wimborne | About 7 miles from Poole | usually within 60 minutes |
| Wareham | About 10 miles from Poole | usually within 90 minutes |
| Verwood | About 13 miles from Bournemouth or Christchurch | usually within 90 minutes |
| Swanage | About 12 miles via the Sandbanks chain ferry, 21 by road through Wareham | usually within 90 minutes by day, longer at night |
| Blandford Forum | About 16 miles from Poole | usually within 90 minutes |
| Dorchester | About 25 miles from Poole | A real time when you call |
| Weymouth | About 33 miles from Poole | A real time when you call |
Distances are road miles from the nearest of Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, measured with a route planner. Traffic on the A31, A35 and A338 can add a lot at busy times. From Poole, the drive alone to Dorchester or Weymouth takes roughly 35 to 50 minutes in clear traffic, so we won't quote our faster times there. If sewage is coming up and a firm based in west Dorset can reach you sooner, we'll say so.
Towns we cover in Dorset
- Bournemouth: Victorian terraces, converted flats and pine-lined roads, BH1 to BH11.
- Poole: sand and clay ground, a tidal harbour and long private drains on big plots, BH12 to BH18.
- Christchurch: two rivers, a harbour, bungalows and holiday lets, BH23.
- Ferndown: BH22, including West Moors and West Parley.
- Wimborne: BH21, including Corfe Mullen and Sturminster Marshall.
- Verwood: BH31, in our wider band.
- Wareham: BH20, one of the places Storm Chandra flooded in January 2026.
- Swanage: BH19, reached by the chain ferry between 7am and 11pm, or round by Wareham at night.
- Blandford Forum: DT11.
- Dorchester and Weymouth: DT1 to DT4, the far end of our range.
Who looks after which drain in Dorset
Dorset has two unitary councils, and they split the county's road drains between them. BCP Council covers Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Dorset Council, formed in 2019, covers the rest of the county, from Ferndown and Wimborne to Wareham and Weymouth. Report a blocked road gully to whichever council runs your area. Dorset Council takes reports online and runs a 24-hour highways line for dangerous flooding.
Wessex Water runs the public sewers across most of Dorset. Since October 2011, a drain shared with a neighbour, and your own drain once it passes your boundary, are Wessex Water's to clear, free of charge: call 0345 600 4 600 at any hour. The pipe serving only your home, inside your boundary, is yours, and that's where a drainage company like us comes in. Our Wessex Water blocked drain guide shows how to tell the difference.
After the wet winter of 2026: groundwater and slow drains
Storm Chandra in late January 2026 flooded parts of the county, Wareham among them. Dorset Council put it down to swollen rivers, rising groundwater and exceptional rain rather than blocked road drains. In early February the council warned that groundwater had reached historic highs in places, and that flood water entering connected drainage can push sewage above ground.
If every toilet on your street slows down after weeks of rain, the sewer is the likely cause, not your drain, and Wessex Water is the call. If yours alone is slow, or it stays slow once the weather dries up, that's worth a look from us.
Drain surveys in Dorset
A CCTV drain survey from £150 shows cracks, roots, sags, pitch fibre and shared connections, with the footage and a written report within 48 hours. Buying a house? A homebuyer drain survey costs from £195. Surveys are booked ahead, so distance matters far less than for an emergency, and we survey right across the county.
Drainage company prices across Dorset
Every job gets a fixed price agreed before any work starts, wherever it is in the county. Unblocking starts from £80. No call-out fee. The same price day, night, weekends and bank holidays. All prices include VAT. The full price list shows what's included.
Dorset drainage FAQs
Do you cover Weymouth and Dorchester?
Yes, but they're the far end of our range: about 25 miles from Poole to Dorchester and 33 to Weymouth. We'll give you a real arrival time when you call rather than our usual one. For a sewage emergency, if a firm based nearer can reach you sooner, we'll tell you. Surveys and planned work there are easy to book.
Who unblocks road drains in Dorset?
The council for your area. In Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole it's BCP Council; everywhere else in Dorset it's Dorset Council. Both take reports online. Sewage coming from a manhole in the road is different: that's the public sewer, so report it to Wessex Water on 0345 600 4 600.
Will Wessex Water unblock my drain for free?
Only if the blockage is in their pipe. Wessex Water clears public sewers, shared drains and the section of your drain beyond your boundary at no charge. A blockage in the pipe serving only your home, inside your boundary, is yours to pay for. If you're not sure whose it is, ring Wessex Water first.
Can you get to Swanage at night?
Yes, though it takes longer. The Sandbanks chain ferry runs from 7am to 11pm, so at night we drive round through Wareham, about 21 miles from Poole. The ferry is also due to pause for a refit from 2 November 2026. We'll give you an honest arrival time when you call.
How much is a drain survey in Dorset?
A CCTV drain survey costs from £150, usually £150 to £350 depending on how many runs there are and how easy the chambers are to open. A homebuyer survey with a written report costs from £195. The price is the same anywhere in the county, and you get the footage as well as the report.
Blocked drain somewhere in Dorset?
Call 0800 246 5347 or send your postcode through the form below, and we'll tell you the price and a real arrival time.