A blocked drain stops water leaving your sinks, toilets, baths or outside gullies. Early signs include slow draining, gurgling pipes and a bad smell near the drain. If you ignore them, the water can back up into your home. For that reason, it is best to act while the blockage is still small.
Most blockages come from fat, food waste, hair and wet wipes. In fact, Water UK found that wipes made up about 93% of the material in the sewer blockages it studied. Around Wolverhampton, tree roots are another common cause, because many older homes still have clay drains with weak joints. Those roots grow into the pipe and catch everything that flows past.
We pass your request to a local drain engineer who covers your area. They find where the blockage sits, clear it with rods or a jetter and test that water runs freely. If the drain keeps blocking, they may suggest a camera survey to find out why. They explain the work, and you can ask for the price before they start.
UK price guides put drain unblocking at about £80 to £250 outside London (Fantastic Services and UK Plumber Spot, 2026). A simple sink or toilet blockage usually costs less, at around £30 to £75. Jobs that need jetting or a camera survey cost more. These are typical ranges, and you can ask your engineer for a price before they start.
Citizens Advice explains that you look after the drains inside your property boundary. However, a lateral drain that you share with a neighbour belongs to the water company. Around Wolverhampton that is Severn Trent, so report shared or public sewer problems to them.
Fat, grease, food waste, hair and wet wipes cause most home blockages. In fact, Water UK found that wipes made up about 93% of the material in the sewer blockages it studied. Tree roots also get into older clay pipes through cracked joints.
UK price guides put drain unblocking at about £80 to £250 outside London (Fantastic Services and UK Plumber Spot, 2026). A simple sink or toilet is usually less, at around £30 to £75. These are typical ranges, and you can ask your engineer for a price for your job.
Fill in the short form on any page with your postcode and a note about the problem. We pass your request to a local engineer, who contacts you to agree a time. Because we have no phone line, the form is the fastest way to reach us.
Yes, the form stays open 24/7, including bank holidays. Mark your request as urgent if water is still escaping. The engineer then knows to treat it as an emergency.
Yes, the quote request is free and there is no obligation to go ahead. You can ask the engineer to talk you through the likely cost before they start. However, if the job changes once they can see it, they tell you before doing more.
Our guide to the early signs of a blocked drain helps you spot trouble before it floods. To stop the same blockage coming back, read how to prevent blocked kitchen drains. If sewage is already coming up, go to our emergency drain services page.