Blocked Toilet, Sink or Drain? Cleared Fast in Southampton
Overflowing toilet, gurgling sink or a bath that won't drain — we clear household blockages quickly and cleanly, day or night.
Overflowing toilet? Act now.
- Stop flushing and stop running any taps that feed the same stack — more water only makes an overflow worse.
- Turn off the toilet's water supply at the isolation valve behind or beside the pan, if it's accessible.
- Lift the cistern lid and, if the pan is close to overflowing, hold the flap or float to stop more water entering the bowl.
- Mop up any water on the floor to protect flooring and stop it spreading — wear gloves.
- Get in touch. Don't keep plunging repeatedly if the blockage doesn't shift after a few attempts — it can push waste further into the pipe and make the job harder.
What we clear
We focus on in-home blockages — the things that stop your household running normally.
Blocked toilets
Slow-flushing or fully blocked pans, cleared without damage to fittings or flooring.
Sinks & basins
Kitchen and bathroom sinks blocked by grease, food, hair or soap build-up.
Baths & showers
Slow-draining baths and showers, usually caused by hair and soap scum in the trap.
Washing machine standpipes
Standpipes and appliance waste connections blocked by lint, detergent scale or debris.
Gullies & outside drains
External gullies blocked by leaves, silt or grease that back up into the house.
Honest scope
Large-scale sewer collapses or CCTV drain surveys are specialist drainage-contractor work — we'll tell you plainly if that's what you need, and point you the right way.
Who is responsible for a blocked drain?
In the UK, responsibility for a blocked drain generally comes down to where the blockage sits:
- Inside your home, or in the pipework serving only your property (toilets, sinks, baths, and the drain run up to the boundary of your property) — this is your responsibility as the homeowner or tenant to sort out.
- Shared sewers — pipework that serves more than one property, including most of the pipe running under the street — is usually the responsibility of your water and sewerage company (Southern Water, in most of Southampton and Hampshire), following changes to UK law in 2011 that transferred most shared "lateral drains" and sewers to water companies.
- Renting? Blockages caused by misuse (wipes, fat, nappies) inside the property are typically the tenant's responsibility to clear or pay for; blockages caused by faulty or aging pipework are usually the landlord's.
If you're not sure where a blockage sits, we can usually tell fairly quickly once we're on site. If it turns out to be a shared sewer issue, we'll say so honestly rather than charging you to attempt work that's Southern Water's responsibility — you can report those directly to Southern Water's blocked sewer team.
Preventing blockages
Never flush wipes, cotton buds, nappies or sanitary products — even ones labelled "flushable" cause blockages further down the pipe.
Let fat, oil and grease cool and go in the bin, not down the sink — it sets hard inside pipework as it cools.
Fit a hair-catching strainer in bath and shower plugholes and clear it weekly.
Run hot water through kitchen sinks after washing up to help clear grease before it builds up.
Frequently asked questions
Can I unblock a toilet without a plumber? +
Often, yes. A good plunger or a toilet auger clears many simple blockages caused by paper or waste. If the water level doesn't drop after a few attempts, or the toilet keeps blocking, it's usually a sign of a blockage further down the pipe that needs proper tools to clear — that's when it's worth calling us in rather than risking an overflow.
Who pays — me, the council or Southern Water? +
The council isn't involved in drain blockages. It comes down to whether the blockage is in pipework serving only your property (your responsibility) or a shared sewer (Southern Water's responsibility). See the section above — we'll help you work out which applies before any work starts.
Why does my sink keep blocking? +
Recurring blockages are usually a build-up of grease, soap scum or hair narrowing the pipe over time rather than a single one-off cause. A full clear of the trap and waste pipe, plus a change in what goes down the plughole, usually stops it coming back.
Do you use drain rods or machines? +
We use whatever's appropriate for the blockage — hand tools and drain rods for simple household blockages, and mechanical drain-clearing equipment for tougher or further-down blockages. For anything requiring CCTV drain surveys or major sewer repair work, we'll refer you to a specialist drainage contractor.
Blockage not clearing on its own?
Get it sorted before it overflows or backs up further.