Signs a drain is blocked
- Sinks draining slowly in more than one room
- Water rising in the toilet when you flush
- Gurgling from plugholes or the toilet
- A smell from an outside gully or manhole
- A manhole cover lifting, or a gully pooling with water
Drain unblocking in Newport
East of the river, the terraces of Maindee, Beechwood and St Julians often have drains that pass from yard to yard before joining a sewer in the back lane. The lane is usually the easiest way to the manholes.
Around Stow Hill and the city centre, large houses divided into flats share one stack and drain. A blockage there floods the lowest flat first, often through a floor gully or shower.
Get a quote in NewportWhat affects drain clearing in Newport
Where several yards share one run, a blockage near the end of the row can back up into houses further along. Welsh Water normally looks after the shared length.
Basement and lower-ground flats near Stow Hill have the lowest fittings, so sewage shows there first. The freeholder or managing agent normally arranges the work.
Water rising from a manhole in your garden or yard means the blockage is in the drain or sewer below it. Sewage from a manhole in the street is a matter for Welsh Water.
Gullies in adopted roads belong to Newport City Council. Water pooling in the road, with nothing rising from your own gully, is one to report to the council.
Areas of Newport we cover
- City centre NP20
- Pill and Maesglas NP20
- Malpas and Bettws NP20
- Maindee NP19
- St Julians and Beechwood NP19
- Ringland NP19
- Caerleon NP18
- Langstone and Llanwern NP18
- Rogerstone and Bassaleg NP10
- Duffryn NP10
What we unblock
Indoor fittings cleared with plungers and augers, with traps taken apart where needed.
Leaves, silt and fat lifted out of yard gullies and the pipe beyond them.
Chambers emptied and the blocked run rodded or jetted through to the next chamber.
Grease-blocked waste pipes from sinks and dishwashers cleared in cafés, pubs, shops and canteens.
How a blocked drain is cleared
- Find the blockage
The covers are lifted, and the blockage lies between the last full chamber and the first empty one.
- Clear it
Rods or a jet go in from the full chamber and break up the blockage until the water drops.
- Check the flow
Water is run through the fittings to confirm the drain is flowing before the covers are replaced.
What the price depends on in Newport
- Whether the blockage is in one fitting or the underground drain
- How easy the manholes are to reach and lift
- Whether rods clear it or jetting is needed
- What the blockage is made of, such as wipes, fat or roots
- Whether the back lane is open to vehicles
- Agreeing access with a managing agent in a building split into flats
Drain unblocking in Newport: questions
I live in a ground-floor flat and the toilet backs up. Who arranges the work?
Normally the freeholder or managing agent, if the drain serves the whole building. Mention whether you own the flat, rent it or manage the building.
Can the drains be cleared from the back lane in Maindee?
Often, if the manhole is in the lane or the yard backs onto it. Note whether the lane is gated and who holds the key.
Is Newport’s sewerage run by Welsh Water?
Yes. Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is the sewerage company for Newport, so blocked public sewers and shared drains are reported to them.
Clearing blocked drains in Newport
Say what kind of property it is (house, flat or business), which fittings are affected and whether a back lane leads to the manhole.
This service is carried out by Fixwise Property Services, a Dragon Multi-Trade brand.