Blocked outside drains
Rodded and jetted clear, with the chamber checked before we leave.
This is me - help!Slow sinks, a gurgling toilet or a manhole lid lifting? Here is how to read the signs, work out whose drain it is, and get it cleared.





Most blocked drains give a warning first. Water drains slowly from more than one fitting, the toilet gurgles when the bath empties, or there is a smell near an outside cover. This guide covers the signs, who is responsible for which pipe in Sussex, and what to do about outside drains, gullies, soakaways and commercial kitchens.
For local help, go straight to your town page. Our team handles blocked drains across Brighton and drain unblocking in Hove, with jetting, rodding and CCTV surveys, and a 30 minute call back day or night.
Rodded and jetted clear, with the chamber checked before we leave.
This is me - help!Cleared without damaging the pan, then tested under full flush.
This is me - help!Traps, wastes and stacks cleared of fat, hair and scale.
This is me - help!Slow-draining wastes cleared and re-sealed properly.
This is me - help!Fat, silt and root matter cut out of the pipe rather than pushed along.
This is me - help!Camera survey to find the real cause when a blockage keeps returning.
This is me - help!Located, excavated where needed, and repaired or relined.
This is me - help!Roots cut back and the damaged section repaired so it does not recur.
This is me - help!Cleared and freed up so surface water drains away properly.
This is me - help!Surveyed and put right rather than cleared again every few months.
This is me - help!One slow sink is usually a blocked trap or waste pipe. When the toilet, bath and kitchen sink all drain slowly at once, or water rises in the shower tray as you flush, the blockage is further down, in the drain itself. Lift the nearest inspection cover. If the chamber is full, the blockage is past it. If it is empty, look between the house and that cover.
Who pays depends on the pipe. On 1 October 2011, shared private drains and sewers in England passed to the water companies, which here means Southern Water. Broadly, a pipe that serves only your property and stays inside your boundary is yours. Once it joins a neighbour’s pipe, or leaves your land, it is usually theirs. We find the blockage first, so you know before anything is charged.
Outside, the usual culprits are leaves and silt in a yard gully, and roots in old clay pipes. A gully on your drive or patio is yours. A road gully belongs to the council as highway authority. Rainwater from many older houses runs to a soakaway, a pit that lets water seep into the ground. When it silts up, downpipes overflow and puddles sit for days. In West Sussex, see blocked drains in Worthing or drain clearance in Crawley.
Commercial kitchens send fat, oil and food waste into the drains every day. It cools, sets and narrows the pipe until it blocks, often mid-service. We can clear them out of hours so you open on time. When a drain keeps blocking, a CCTV camera survey shows why: roots, a crack or a dropped joint. You see the footage, and any repair is priced from it. In the east of the county, start with blocked drain help in Eastbourne.
Building maintenance and repairs across Sussex
Our experienced multi-trade team delivers coordinated repair works, ongoing upkeep and improvement projects through a single, reliable point of contact. From everyday building issues to larger planned works, we keep properties safe, compliant and professionally maintained.
“Fixed leaking shower, was on times and very reliable. Great communication!”

“OGB were brilliant from start to finish. Excellent communicators, great attention to detail, tidy on site and nice to have around. Would recommend and will use again.”

“Professional company, reasonable price, nice tidy workmanship would happily recommend.”

“Top service from OGB. Helpful every step of the way. Would recommend.”

“We was very happy with Grant, Ollie and the team. They done a great professional job, as well as being very helpful and knowledgeable. I couldn’t recommend them enough.”

“Fantastic job from start to finish, easy to communicate with them and very hardworking. We as so happy with the outcome. Would definitely recommend. Thank you OGB.”

From Bognor Regis and Littlehampton along the coast to Seaford, and inland to Burgess Hill, East Grinstead and Crawley. We are based on Conway Street in Hove. Call us and we will give you an honest arrival window.
Not on the list? Call anyway. If you are in Sussex we will tell you straight how fast we can get to you.
If a drain has backed up inside, we clear it, then our plasterers, flooring fitters and decorators can put the damage right. One firm, with the price agreed first.
This is me - help!We tell you whether the blockage is in your drain or Southern Water’s, so you are not paying for their pipe. Photos and camera findings come with the invoice.
This is me - help!Restaurants, cafés, care homes and offices. We clear kitchen and toilet drains out of hours where we can, and tell you what is causing repeat blockages.
This is us - help!Leave your details and we will call you straight back with a named engineer and an arrival window. Lines are answered 24/7 either way.
Call 01273 044054Lines answered 24/7 by the team who will attend, not a call centre.