Blocked drains and drainage services in Devon
Devon is a long drive from where our engineers are based, so we give you the price and a real arrival time before you book.
- East Devon nearest, Plymouth furthest
- One county, one price list
- South West Water's part in plain English
For blocked drains in Devon, start with the map. Our engineers are based in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, and all of Devon is covered from there: there's no office, yard or engineer of ours anywhere in the county. Axminster and Honiton, the nearest towns, are about 53 and 62 miles away by road. Plymouth is over 120. That's why we never promise a time here. You get a real arrival time when you call, along with a fixed price agreed before any work starts, and you decide from there.
Every visit is made by engineers from OneFlow Drainage, as My Local Drainage is part of the OneFlow Drainage group.
Driving distances across Devon, and what they mean for you
| Town | Postcode | Road distance from Poole | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axminster | EX13 | About 53 miles | A real arrival time when you call; our nearest Devon town |
| Honiton | EX14 | About 62 miles | A real arrival time when you call |
| Exeter | EX1 to EX4 | About 79 miles | A real arrival time when you call |
| Exmouth | EX8 | About 81 miles | A real arrival time when you call |
| Newton Abbot | TQ12 | About 94 miles | A real arrival time when you call |
| Torquay | TQ1, TQ2 | About 100 miles | A real arrival time when you call |
| Paignton | TQ3, TQ4 | About 102 miles | A real arrival time when you call |
| Barnstaple | EX31, EX32 | About 119 miles | A real arrival time when you call; best booked ahead |
| Plymouth | PL1 to PL9 | About 122 miles | A real arrival time when you call; best booked ahead |
Poole is the nearest of our three base towns to Devon, and the mileage comes from a route planner. With empty roads, the drive takes around two hours to Exeter and getting on for three to Plymouth or Barnstaple. Holiday traffic adds more. So if sewage is rising inside your house tonight, a drainage firm based in Devon will usually get to you sooner, and we'll tell you that when you ring.
Booked work is different. A CCTV drain survey, a homebuyer drain survey or a repair goes in the diary for an agreed day, so the miles barely affect you.
Devon towns we cover
- Axminster and Honiton: East Devon, the part of the county closest to us.
- Exeter: River Exe flood defences here reduce the risk for more than 3,200 homes and businesses.
- Exmouth: mostly Victorian, with older cob cottages in former villages such as Withycombe.
- Newton Abbot: a Victorian railway town whose terraced streets housed the locomotive works' staff.
- Torquay: large Italianate villas in Wellswood and the Lincombes, built by wealthy Victorians.
- Paignton: a Victorian centre around Church Street, Winner Street and Palace Avenue.
- Barnstaple: North Devon's main town, one of the places in the county council's 2026 flood action plan.
- Plymouth: rebuilt after heavy wartime bombing, with Georgian and Victorian houses surviving in areas such as Stoke.
South West Water, three councils and the pipes you own
South West Water runs the public sewers across Devon. It owns any sewer carrying waste from more than one property, and your own drain becomes theirs once it passes your boundary (a lateral drain). The section serving only your home, inside your boundary, is yours to keep clear. South West Water asks you to call 0344 346 2020 first with any sewerage problem and says it will look into the cause for free. Its sewer responsibility page has a diagram.
Road drains sit with three different councils:
- Most of Devon: Devon County Council, which has around 180,000 gullies. Report one on its standing water and blocked drains page or on 0345 155 1004.
- Plymouth: Plymouth City Council, through its flooded road or blocked drain form.
- Torbay: SWISCo, Torbay Council's own company, on 01803 701318 or online.
Off the mains: septic tanks, cob walls and wet winters
Some rural Devon homes aren't connected to a public sewer at all. A septic tank and its pipes belong to the owner, not South West Water. We can clear a blocked pipe running to the tank and film it with a camera, but emptying the tank needs a waste tanker, which we price on the phone before booking. One rule to know: if a septic tank discharges straight into a ditch or stream, government guidance says it must be upgraded, and a buyer and seller should agree who pays as a condition of sale.
Cob, the traditional Devon walling made from unbaked earth, usually stands on a plinth of stone or brick. Historic England warns that if moisture rises above that plinth for long, cob can start to break down. A leaking drain or overflowing gully beside an old cob wall is worth sorting quickly.
Wet weather matters too. Devon County Council says Storm Chandra flooded more than 180 properties early in 2026, with over 50 places hit in the first weeks of the year. When every drain on your road backs up at once, the cause is usually the public system rather than your pipe.
Devon prices don't go up with the miles
A job in Barnstaple is charged from the same price list as one in Poole. Unblocking starts from £80, a CCTV survey from £150. No call-out fee. The same price day, night, weekends and bank holidays. All prices include VAT.
Devon drainage FAQs
How long will you take to reach me in Devon?
We can't give one number for the whole county, because the drive from Poole ranges from about an hour and a quarter to Axminster to well over two and a half hours to Plymouth. Tell us your postcode and you'll get a real arrival time when you call, based on where our engineers are that day, before you agree to anything.
Does South West Water unblock drains in Devon?
For its own pipes, yes. South West Water clears public sewers, pipes serving more than one property and the length of your drain beyond your boundary, free of charge. Ring 0344 346 2020. A pipe that serves only your home, inside your boundary, is the owner's to pay for.
Who clears road drains in Plymouth and Torbay?
Not Devon County Council. In Plymouth it's Plymouth City Council, which takes reports online. In Torbay, road gullies are cleaned by SWISCo, Torbay Council's company, on 01803 701318. Everywhere else in Devon, report it to the county council on 0345 155 1004.
My house has a septic tank. Can you still help?
With the pipes, yes: we can clear a blockage between the house and the tank and show you the camera footage. Emptying the tank itself needs a tanker, which we price on the phone first. If the tank empties straight into a stream or ditch, the rules say it has to be upgraded.
Can you check the drains before I buy a house in Devon?
Yes. A homebuyer drain survey starts from £195, and you get the footage plus a written report within 48 hours. It's booked for a set day, so the distance doesn't slow your purchase. If the house has a septic tank or treatment plant, that needs its own inspection.
Drain blocked in Devon?
Call 0800 246 5347 or send your postcode with the form below. We'll give you the price and a straight answer on timing, including when someone local would be quicker.