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Land Drainage Installation & Repairs
Waterlogged ground doesn't fix itself. Left alone, it turns into pooling water, boggy lawns, damp walls, and car parks or yards that are unsafe to use. The right land drainage system clears the water and stops it coming back.
ICE Drainage installs and repairs land drainage across London and the Home Counties. We work with commercial property teams, hospitality sites, and facilities management to get water moving away from buildings and grounds, not sitting on them.
Contact our friendly team by calling 0203 870 1067 or contactus@icedrainage.co.uk to learn more about our land drainage installations and repairs.
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What is land drainage?
A French drain is a type of land drainage system that collects water and redirects it away from an area. It typically consists of a trench dug to a designed fall, a perforated pipe where required, clean drainage aggregate, a geotextile membrane to reduce silt getting in, and a suitable discharge point, such as a soakaway, surface water system, or other approved outlet.
French drains are commonly used to manage groundwater and surface water around buildings, hardstanding, and landscaped areas.
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I’m here to help
By asking you a few questions either via phone or email I can immediately provide a realistic estimation of the cost.
Our land drainage installation & repairs treatment process
Step 1 Contact
To book a free, no-obligation survey appointment, either give us a call on 0203828 7719 or email us on contactus@icedrainage.co.uk.
A member of our friendly support team will reach out to discuss your requests and provide an estimated cost for your French Drainage & Land Drainage service.
If necessary, our technicians will visit the site to review the current situation.
Step 2 Quote
Adhering to all health and safety protocols, our technicians will assess the state of your property. They will then conduct a risk assessment to avoid unforeseen issues arising during the works.
Our team will make tailored suggestions concerning the best service for your situation and address any concerns or queries. You will receive a free, comprehensive quote for your French Drainage & Land Drainage service.
Step 3 Works
Our qualified technicians will arrive promptly, fully uniformed with ID badges, ready to begin the work.
The service will be completed in accordance with the survey, adhering to all health and safety rules. We aim to maintain a safe working environment for all parties at all times.
Our team will review and document the completed work, making sure you're pleased with the job. We promise to leave your property safe and clean.
Step 4 After care
Here at ICE Drainage, we go the extra mile to ensure all clients are satisfied.
Our dedicated customer service team strive to converse with every client following the French Drainage & Land Drainage service to make sure all expectations have been met.
You'll also be given the opportunity to write a Trustpilot review.
Emergency Hotline
0203 870 1067
Helpline open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
When calling please have
the following ready:
- Your Name
- Company Name (if applicable)
- Site Postcode
- The problem you're having
- Email Address
Get a Quote
French Drains & Land Drainage FAQs
The basics
Can land drainage stop flooding completely?
It depends on the scale of the problem. A well-designed system will handle normal rainfall and everyday groundwater without issue, but extreme weather events may still cause some surface water — the goal is to massively reduce the risk, not promise zero water in every scenario.
Do I need planning permission for land drainage?
Most domestic and small commercial jobs don't need planning permission, but discharge into a public sewer or watercourse can need permission from your water company or the Environment Agency. We'll tell you if your site needs anything before we start.
What causes waterlogged ground in the first place?
Usually one of a few things — heavy clay soil that doesn't drain well, ground that's been compacted by traffic or building work, a high water table, or simply nowhere for surface water to go once it rains. We work out which one applies to your site before recommending anything.
Can you install land drainage for agricultural or large sites?
Yes, we design and install land drainage for gardens, grounds, and larger agricultural and commercial sites.
Will land drainage need ongoing maintenance?
Most systems need very little, especially if catch pits and silt traps are built in at the right points. An occasional check keeps everything running.
What's the difference between land drainage and a French drain?
A French drain is one type of land drainage — a trench with gravel and a perforated pipe, mainly used for groundwater near a building. Land drainage covers every option, including soakaways, catch pits, and channel drains.
When would I need land drainage?
If an area of ground stays wet, waterlogged, or keeps flooding after rain, land drainage can help move the water away and dry the site out for good.
What is land drainage?
It's a general term for any system that moves excess water off the ground and away from a site — this can include perforated pipe runs, catch pits, soakaways, channel drains, or French drains, depending on what's needed.
Estimates and charges
Is it cheaper to repair existing drainage than replace it?
Often, yes. If the pipework and layout are basically sound, repairing or clearing what's already there usually costs less than starting from scratch. We'll always tell you honestly which makes more sense.
How much does land drainage cost?
It varies a lot depending on the size of the site, the ground conditions, and which system is right for you. We'll give you a clear, itemised quote after a free site survey, so there's no guesswork.
On the day
Do I need to be on-site during installation?
Not for the work itself, as long as we have access and a point of contact. We'll walk you through the plan beforehand and confirm everything's done to spec before we leave.
Will land drainage installation damage my garden, car park, or grounds?
There's some disruption while we excavate, but we reinstate the surface or landscaping once the work's done, so it's returned to how it was as far as possible.
Will you disrupt my business while working on-site?
Wherever possible, no. We plan around trading hours, access windows, and site rules, and we'll flag it clearly if out-of-hours work is the better option.
How long does installation take?
It depends on the size of the site and the system needed — from a day for a small garden fix to longer for larger commercial or agricultural sites.
Customer care
Do you offer any kind of guarantee on installed drainage?
Yes, we stand behind our installation work. Ask your surveyor for the specifics for your project when you get your quote.
What should I do if my land drainage stops working?
Get in touch. Most failures come down to silt build-up, a blocked outlet, or a collapsed section of pipe — all things we can usually diagnose and fix without needing to dig up the whole system.
How do I know if my land drainage is working properly?
Ground that used to pool or stay soggy should dry out at a normal rate after rain. If water's still sitting around after a day or two, or an area that was previously fine starts flooding, it's worth getting it checked.
Why choose us?
- Cater to a wide variety of drainage situations
- Nationwide coverage, available 24/7
- Cater to commercial and domestic clients
- Free survey provided prior to quotation
- Emergency response team
- Offer a bespoke service designed to suit all your needs
- All technicians hold professional health and safety qualifications
What is land drainage?
Land drainage is the general term for any system that moves excess water off the ground and away from a site. Depending on what's causing the problem, that could mean:
- Perforated pipe runs laid through waterlogged ground
- Catch pits and silt traps, to collect water at key points
- Soakaways and infiltration systems, to let water drain away naturally
- Channel drains, to collect surface water
- French drains, to intercept groundwater near a building or boundary
- Re-grading the ground itself, so water runs off instead of pooling
Which one you need depends on where the water is coming from, what the ground is like, and where it can be sent once it's collected. Get that wrong and you end up paying for a fix that doesn't fix anything.
Signs you need land drainage
You're probably dealing with a drainage problem if you're seeing:
- Water pooling around the edges of a building
- Lawns, grounds, or borders that stay soggy long after it's stopped raining
- Flooding in basements or lower-ground outdoor areas
- Water finding its way into plant rooms or service corridors
- Standing water in car parks, loading bays, or yards
- Damp patches that keep coming back
- Ground that floods every time it rains heavily
If it keeps happening, that's usually a sign the drainage is too small, blocked, badly installed, or was never there in the first place.
Commercial applications
We regularly support:
- Hotels and leisure sites with landscaped grounds and car parks
- Restaurants and pubs where outdoor areas need to stay safe and usable
- Facilities management teams looking after multiple sites
- Commercial buildings dealing with perimeter damp and runoff
- Schools and public buildings with waterlogged grounds
Whatever the site, the aim is the same: get the water under control, protect the building, and keep the site open.
Our approach: survey, design, install
We don't guess at land drainage. We work it out.
1) Site assessment
We check where the water's coming from (surface runoff or groundwater), the ground levels and falls, how well the soil drains, any existing drainage routes and outlets, and anything that might affect the work — utilities, access, trading hours.
2) A recommendation that fits the site
Based on what we find, we'll recommend the right fix. That might be additional surface water collection points, catch pits to cut down on future maintenance, a soakaway, a French drain where groundwater is the issue, or repairs to a system that's already collapsed or silted up.
3) Installation that's built to last
We install with the right falls, the right pipework, a proper membrane and aggregate, solid connections, and sensible reinstatement of the surface or landscaping once the work's done.
A note on French drains
A French drain is one specific type of land drainage — a gravel-filled trench with a perforated pipe, used mainly to intercept groundwater around a building or boundary. It's one of the tools we use, but not the only one, and it isn't always the right fix depending on what's causing your water problem.
If you already know a French drain is what you need, we've got a full page on French drain installation and repairs, including cost, process, and FAQs.
Repairing existing land drains
Not every site needs a brand-new system. A lot of the time, we're fixing what's already there — silted-up pipes, collapsed runs, trenches with a poor fall that let water sit, discharge points that can't cope, or old systems that were never fitted with a membrane and have since filled with silt. Where we can repair and restore performance instead of starting again, we will.
Working around live sites
We know most commercial sites can't just shut down for a drainage job. We plan around trading hours, FM access windows, quiet periods, and site rules, and we'll always tell you upfront if out-of-hours work makes more sense.
Built to be maintained
A lot of land drainage fails simply because nobody can get to it. We design systems with maintenance in mind — catch pits and silt traps in the right places, accessible inspection points, sensible outlets, and a clear handover so your team knows what to check and when. That's what keeps a system working years down the line, not just on installation day.
Why choose ICE Drainage?
- A commercial-first approach for hospitality and FM
- Coverage across London and the Home Counties
- Solutions designed to stop the problem coming back, not just patch it
- Straightforward advice, no jargon
- Accredited: Safe Contractor, SSSTS, and Constructionline Gold
ICE Drainage is part of ICE Services Group, alongside ICE Cleaning, one of the UK's leading sewage cleaning companies.
Get your site surveyed
Call us on 0203 870 1067 or email us on contactus@icedrainage.co.uk If water's causing problems on your site, get in touch and we'll take a proper look.