Emergency drain unblocking, day or night
Dirty water rising, a manhole spilling over, no working toilet: call now for an arrival time you can rely on and a price agreed first.
- Emergency unblocking from £80
- The same price day, night, weekends and bank holidays.
- No call-out fee
- Usually within 60 minutes in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch
- If we can't clear it, you don't pay
Emergency drain unblocking: what to do in the next 10 minutes
Ring 0800 246 5347 first, so an engineer is heading your way while you do the rest. Emergency drain unblocking goes faster when the water has stopped rising, so work through this list next.
Do this now
- Stop all water. No flushing, no taps, no showers or baths, for everyone in the house.
- Leave the washing machine and dishwasher off. If one is mid-cycle, pause it before it pumps out.
- Keep children and pets out of any room or bit of garden with dirty water in it.
- Leave heavy manhole covers alone. They crush fingers, and an open chamber is easy to step into.
- Take photos of the water, the damage and the manhole for your insurer.
Every drop you send down makes the flood bigger
A blocked drain can't take any more water, so whatever goes down a plughole upstairs comes out at the lowest point. That is often a downstairs toilet, a shower tray or a floor gully. A washing machine empties a surprising amount of water in a few seconds, and it is often what turns a slow drain into a flooded kitchen.
Keep people and pets away from sewage
Sewage carries germs that can make people ill. Wear rubber gloves if you have to touch anything, wash your hands well afterwards, and keep toddlers and dogs out of the area. If water is near plug sockets or an extension lead, switch off at the consumer unit, but only if you can reach it without standing in water.
Don't lift heavy covers or reach for chemicals
Cast iron and concrete covers weigh more than they look, and a dropped one can break a foot. Our engineer carries proper lifting keys. Leave drain chemicals in the cupboard too: they won't shift a full blockage, and they sit in the water our engineer then has to work in.
Photos now save arguments later
Take wide shots of each affected room, close-ups of damaged flooring and skirting, and the overflowing drain if you can see it safely. Note the time it started. If you claim on your home insurance, the insurer will want to see the damage before anything is thrown away.
Check next door
If a neighbour's manhole is also full, or the one in the road, the blockage may be in the public sewer. That is your water company's job, and they clear it at no cost to you. Our guide on Wessex Water and blocked drains explains how to tell. Call us anyway if you aren't sure. We'll say straight away if it isn't ours to fix.
Which drain problems count as an emergency
Sewage or dirty water coming up inside
Water rising from a shower tray, bath, toilet or floor gully on the ground floor means the drain below is full. It gets worse every time someone upstairs uses water.
An overflowing manhole or gully outside
An overflowing drain in the garden or drive spreads sewage over paths and lawns, and it can reach air bricks and back doors. Our page on the blocked outside drain explains the usual causes once the panic is over.
Your only toilet is out of action
One toilet, blocked, in a house with children, older relatives or someone unwell, is an emergency even when nothing is overflowing. If the water in the pan is rising or won't go down, see our blocked toilet advice while you wait.
A business that can't trade
A café, salon or holiday let with a blocked drain loses money every hour it stays shut. We aim to get you open again first and look into the cause afterwards.
Probably not an emergency: a single slow sink, or a drain that still empties in a minute or two. A booked visit for standard drain unblocking, at a time that suits you, makes more sense.
How quickly an engineer can reach you
Our engineers are based in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch. For those towns and the places next to them, we are usually within 60 minutes. Across the rest of Dorset and Hampshire, it is usually within 90 minutes.
When you ring, we give you an arrival time based on where the nearest engineer is right now, not a headline number. If that changes, we call you. We would rather give you a later time and beat it than promise a fast one and miss it. The phones are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including bank holidays.
Blocked drain emergency call-out prices, nights and weekends
The same price day, night, weekends and bank holidays. No call-out fee. You pay for clearing the drain, at a fixed price you agree on the phone or at the door before any work starts.
- One blocked toilet, shower or sink flooding backfrom£80
- Blocked or overflowing outside drain£80 to £200
- Jetting when fat or silt won't move with rodsfrom£150
Included: the emergency visit, finding and clearing the blockage, testing the flow, and cleaning up the chamber and the ground around it.
What could change it: no easy access to the drain, a blockage deep in a long run, or more than one blocked pipe. You hear about any change before it happens, never on the invoice.
All prices include VAT. We take card, bank transfer or Apple Pay, once the job is done. See the full price list.
What happens when the engineer arrives
- A quick look at the damage
The engineer checks where the water is, what it has reached and whether anything electrical is at risk.
- Covers up, water traced
They lift the chambers to find where dirty water stops and clean pipe begins.
- Price agreed at the door
You hear a fixed price before any tool goes in. Nothing starts until you say yes.
- Flow back first
The job tonight is getting water moving so you can use the house again, usually with rods or the jetter from the nearest manhole.
- Clean-up and next steps
We wash down the chamber and the area around it, test with the taps running, and tell you whether the cause needs a camera look in daylight.
What emergency drain unblocking can and can't fix
It can fix the blockage itself. That means stopping the backflow, emptying the flooded chamber and getting toilets and sinks working again, the same night.
It can't fix the damage the water has already done. Carpets, flooring and plaster soaked in sewage need a specialist cleaning firm, usually arranged through your insurer. A collapsed pipe can't be rebuilt in the middle of the night either. We can often get water past it for now, then quote for a proper collapsed drain repair in daylight. And a blockage in the public sewer is the water company's to clear, not yours.
Recent emergency call-outs
Night and weekend jobs from the last few weeks, with what we found when we got there.
Real, dated jobs from the job log appear here: town and postcode district, the problem, what was done, and a photo. Nothing shows until real jobs are logged. Service: emergency-drain-unblocking.
Our guarantee on emergency work
The promises are the same at midnight as at midday:
- If we can't clear it, you don't pay.
- If the same drain blocks again within 30 days, we come back free.
The details, including what the return visit covers, are on our guarantee page.
Areas we cover for 24 hour drain unblocking
Engineers on call from Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, covering towns across Dorset and Hampshire. Choose your town for local details.
Emergency blocked drain FAQs
Is a blocked drain an emergency?
It is when sewage is coming into the house, a manhole is overflowing, your only toilet can't be used, or a business can't open. A slow sink or a drain that still empties is not an emergency, and a booked visit will usually cost you less stress and time. If you aren't sure, ring us and describe it.
Is a blocked drain an emergency repair in a rented home?
Usually, if it leaves you without a working toilet or sends sewage back into the property. Most landlords, letting agents and councils treat those as urgent repairs. Tell your landlord or agent straight away and keep a record of when you did. If you can't reach anyone and waste is backing up, call an engineer and keep the invoice.
How fast can an engineer get to me?
Across Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch and the towns next to them, we are usually within 60 minutes. Elsewhere in Dorset and Hampshire, it is usually within 90 minutes. When you call, we give you a specific arrival time based on where the nearest engineer is at that moment, and we ring you if it changes.
Can you come tonight?
Yes. The phones are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including bank holidays, and an engineer is on call through the night. We'll tell you on the phone when they can realistically be with you. If another emergency is ahead of you in the queue, we say so, so you can decide what to do.
How much does emergency drain unblocking cost?
Emergency unblocking starts from £80, and most jobs fall within £80 to £200. The same price day, night, weekends and bank holidays. No call-out fee. You agree a fixed price before any work starts, and it only changes if we find something you haven't described, in which case you decide before we carry on.
Should I call an emergency plumber for a blocked drain?
Call a drainage engineer instead. An emergency plumber can clear a blocked toilet or sink trap, but a blockage in the underground pipe or manhole needs rods, a jetter and sometimes a camera. Most plumbers don't carry that kit, so you can pay for a visit and still be left with a full drain.
Does house insurance cover blocked drains?
Most home insurance doesn't pay for clearing a simple blockage, but many buildings policies cover damage caused by sewage escaping, and some cover repairs to a broken pipe. Check your policy wording or ring the claims line. Keep photos, the engineer's invoice and any camera footage, as insurers usually ask for all three.
Is sewage in the house dangerous?
It can be. Sewage carries bacteria and viruses that cause stomach illness, so keep children, pets and anyone unwell away from it. Wear gloves, wash your hands thoroughly, and don't eat or prepare food in affected rooms. Soaked carpets and soft furnishings usually need professional cleaning or replacing once the drain is clear.
Call now for emergency drain unblocking
Ring 0800 246 5347 and you'll hear a real arrival time and a fixed price in the same call.