Lanes finds solution to householder’s sewage saga

After nearly two years of serious sewage issues and much legal wrangling, a householder in Cheshire is finally free of drainage problems, thanks to Lanes for Drains.

The cottage’s sewage system was a 100-year old septic tank, but the pipes to it had been damaged during work at the adjoining property. This meant that the client’s garden was permanently water logged and the sewage system blocked constantly.

Two contractors had tried — and failed — to get to the root of the problem and eighteen months had gone by, yet the householder’s predicament still had not been resolved.

In desperation, the loss adjuster called in Lanes. Mike Manning from the company’s Chester branch takes up the story: “The situation for the owner was pretty grim because no one had been able to tell him exactly where and what the problem was. The other contractors had not even found the septic tank.

“We went in and were able to give a full report on the problem and recommend remedial action — to excavate and replace the damaged drain and ensure the integrity of the septic tank.”

“But there was another problem. The property was the middle house of three and the only one still feeding into the septic tank, but since the tank and damaged pipes were under the neighbour’s garden, her permission was required for the excavation,” explains Mike.

“She refused. With negotiations getting nowhere and the client still struggling on with a malfunctioning sewage system, the loss adjuster decided the simplest solution was for Lanes to cut off the output to the old septic tank completely, and install a completely new sewage system.”

This meant putting a brand new treatment plant and pumping station under the garden and running a 100-metre rising main down the canal towpath at the rear of the cottages.

Even then there were obstacles to overcome for the Lanes’ team because the working area was extremely tight and conditions were testing, thanks to limited access and a high water table.

Mike sets the scene: “The garden was a mere 6-metres by 4-metres and the sewage treatment tank itself was 2-metres in diameter by 2.3-metres in height, whilst the pumping station was almost a metre in diameter and had to be sunk down 2-metres — not much room to manoeuvre!”

All equipment and plant had to be taken around the neighbouring property and down the canal towpath for 40-metres because there was no direct access to the back of the house. The guys worked with severe ground water coming into the excavation then had to use a wheelbarrow to take some 30-tonnes of excavated spoil from the rear to the front of the property and reverse the journey to bring 12-tonnes of concrete mix into the garden to form the trench support.

Despite the adverse conditions, Lanes installed the new system and reinstated the cottage garden in just three weeks — and the householder finally got his brand new, fully functioning, efficient sewage system.