Annie loves solving drainage puzzles to make customers happy

Annie Trafford is thriving as a drainage engineer working for Lanes Group because she loves the challenge of solving hidden drainage puzzles and making customers happy.

She is one of the small but growing number of women who are being won over to working in the drainage and sewer maintenance industry, and thinks others should do the same.

Annie joined Lanes Utilities Division, working for Thames Water, in April 2016, and now sees an opportunity to “climb the ladder” and develop a successful career working for Lanes.

She says: “I have two family members who work for Lanes Group as drainage engineers, so I thought I would give it a go as well. It was a bit daunting in the first few days, because there was so much to learn.

“But everyone at the depot where I work is very supportive and welcoming. On the operational side, it is still very male-dominated. But Lanes provides everything needed for women to work alongside men, and I’m treated as one of team.”

Conrad Ashby, Lanes Group Framework Director for the Thames Water contract, said: “It’s great to see that Annie really enjoys her work and has been readily welcomed to the Lanes family. At Lanes, we want to break down barriers and challenge outdated conventions, so all our staff can develop and prosper in whichever career they choose.

“In what is a very competitive recruitment environment, this is vital for us to attract people, like Annie, who have the right abilities and attitudes to do an excellent job for our customers.”

Annie, 23, from Wolvercote, Oxford, is based at the Thames Valley depot in Kidlington, one of five utilities hubs run by Lanes, which is Thames Water’s wastewater network services maintenance partner.

She is a qualified painter and decorator and worked for herself until she chose a new career path. The opportunity to be trained, and develop new skills backed by industry qualifications was one of the attractions of joining Lanes.

She said: “I love my job because it involves meeting different customers every single day. When we first see them, they’re often upset because of a drainage problem, such as a sewer flood or a blocked drain.

“It’s our job to reassure them and quickly put matters right for them. Helping customers is a big thrill for me. If I can leave customers happy, it makes me happy.

“Drainage is a bit like solving an underground puzzle. You have to work out what’s wrong and the best way to fix something. There’s a lot to learn and understand to do the job well, and that’s an interesting challenge.”

Annie says she has been fully supported by her colleagues, not least Dean Simmons, who she’s been paired with on a CityFlex jet vac tanker, which is used to clean and unblock drains and sewers.

Dean has worked in the drainage industry for 18 years. Lanes always seeks to pair new drainage engineers with a senior and experienced colleague, like Dean, at the start of their career, to support and coach them in delivering safe solutions to solve customers’ problems.

Annie says: “Dean has been fantastic. He’s very patient, and is willing to take time to explain everything to me as we go along. It’s good to learn from someone who wants to pass on their experience and skills.”

Annie says she has not found any aspect of the job that she cannot do as well as male colleagues, adding: “Manhole covers can be heavy to lift. But Dean has shown me how to do it safely with least effort.

“At Lanes health and safety is a big priority, so there’s a big effort to keep manual handling to a minimum. If need be, we are always able to help each other with lifting tasks, so it’s not been a problem.

“There are potential risks, but I’ve been shown from day one that setting up the work site properly, like using safety barriers and not taking short cuts, makes our work safe.”

As for the common view that drainage work is always dirty and smelly, that is not what Annie has found. She says: “The smell isn’t as bad as people think, and the way we work, plus our equipment, protects us from anything nasty.”

Annie is now keen to develop a successful career at Lanes Group – and would encourage other women to consider becoming a drainage engineer.

She says: “I’m ambitious and hope I can progress at Lanes. Managers here are very supportive, so as long as I work hard, there will be lots of opportunities to develop my skills, win promotion and move into different roles.

“I’ve already persuaded a female friend to join the company, and I can see more women doing the same work in the future. This job’s all about being a problem-solver and helping others, and I love it.”