Drainage Support in London

Lanes for Drains is providing specialist drainage support for international parking company Q-Park as part of its multi-million pound upgrade of central London’s most important car parks.

The work has involved surveying and cleaning drainage systems in some of the largest, deepest and most complex underground car parks in the country.

Q-Park, one of three leading parking providers in Europe, was awarded a 25-year lease in February 2011 to run 14 car parks on behalf of Westminster City Council.

The car parks provide more than 4,200 spaces, most underground, in key locations across central London, including Trafalgar Square, Chinatown, Soho and Park Lane.

The work carried out by Lanes for Drains, the UK’s largest independent drainage specialist, has been part of a £10 million refurbishment programme implemented by Q-Park to bring the car parks up to its high standards.

Sean Murray, Regional Manager for the Lanes for Drains London Division, based in Rainham, Essex, said: “We are very pleased to be able to work with Q-Park. We share their ambition to provide a trusted, high quality, innovative service.

“Having efficient drainage systems in underground car parks is crucial because flooding can reduce parking capacity and, in some cases, may result in the car parking having to be closed completely.

“Working in underground car parks in one of the world’s busiest cities has presented us with some big challenges. Access can be difficult and disruption to parking services has to be kept to a minimum.

“The car parks have up to eight underground levels. It’s a bit like working on a high rise building that’s been buried underground, and each site has its own unique complex drainage system.

“One of the main tasks has been to clear large amount of silt that had built up within the drainage lines and pump systems after many years of minimal maintenance.

“Removing it has required a full understanding of how the whole system works, otherwise it’s possible to merely move one potential blockage problem from one part of the system to another.”

He said the range of sophisticated equipment Lanes for Drains can bring to bear – including robot multi-directional HD video cameras and the most modern high pressure jetting tankers available in the UK – has been key to their success.

Ben Thilthorpe, Q-Park’s Head of Operations South, said: “We have been pleased and impressed with the service provided by Lanes for Drains.

“Their teams take a proactive approach. Their service is excellent and focused on getting the precise results required. We’re looking forward, now, to moving into a new phase to manage and maintain the drainage systems in our central London car parks.”