Mr Cannell – Installation of a Soakaway, Road Gullies and Associated Pipework

The Client

Mr Cannell was worried about high levels of excess water around his house and wanted to take extra precautions to ensure his property wouldn’t flood in the future. The first thing we did when assessing Mr Cannell’s property, especially his driveway, was a percolation test. This tested the rate of water absorbency of the ground near and around the house. We then followed the below steps:

The course of action

• First, we excavated an area within the grass verge, outside the property.
• Within the excavation, we installed 10 Aqua Cell crates.
• We then wrapped the newly installed crates in the Geotextile Membrane and sealed them.
• We undertook an open-cut excavation within the carriageway to the newly installed soakaway system located outside the property.
• Within the excavation, we installed no more than 80m of 150mm UPVC perforated pipework.
• We excavated within the designated areas of the street and installed 4 road gullies.
• From the location of each gully, we excavated for 3m to the location of the newly installed perforated pipework.
• Within the excavation, we installed no more than 3m of 100mm UPVC pipework and connected this to the perforated pipework.
• We surrounded all pipework in 10 mm pea shingle and then backfilled the excavation with Type One granular material.
• We reinstated the top surface to its original order.

The Outcome

The completed system now provides a dedicated attenuation and infiltration solution designed to manage surface water at source and significantly reduce the risk of future flooding. By combining the Aqua Cell storage crates with full geotextile encapsulation and an extensive perforated carrier pipe network, we created a structured soakaway capable of holding and gradually dispersing large volumes of surface water into the surrounding ground in a controlled and efficient manner.

The newly installed road gullies now intercept surface runoff before it can accumulate on the carriageway or driveway, directing water into the perforated pipework and onward into the soakaway system. The pea shingle surround promotes effective filtration and sustained flow performance, while the Type One granular backfill and careful reinstatement ensure the long-term stability and integrity of the verge and carriageway surfaces.

Following completion, the system was naturally tested during several sustained periods of heavy rainfall. Mr Cannell confirmed that water no longer pooled around his driveway or near the property’s foundations, and there were no signs of overspill, backflow or ground saturation. The improved drainage performance has provided him with reassurance that his home is now better protected against extreme weather conditions.

The works were delivered on programme with minimal disruption to the surrounding area, and all reinstatements were completed to their original specification. Mr Cannell was pleased with both the quality of workmanship and the clear improvement in drainage capacity, and confirmed he would be happy to recommend our services to friends and family.