Blocked Outside Drain & Gully in Leicester

Common Causes of External Blockages

Leaves and garden debris accumulating in a yard gully are the most frequent cause, especially in autumn in Leicester's many tree-lined streets. Cooking fat poured down a kitchen waste outlet that exits to an external gully solidifies in the gully pot. Root ingress in the inspection chamber or drain run below. And in some cases, a partial collapse in the main drain that causes standing water to back up to the nearest external outlet.

Gully Pots and How They Work

An external gully has a pot — a sump below the drain cover — that holds a water seal to prevent drain smells entering the house. When that pot fills with silt, leaves or congealed fat, the water seal is lost and the gully overflows in any sustained rainfall. Cleaning out the gully pot is usually a quick job.

DIY vs When to Call

Clearing leaves and loose silt from a gully pot is a DIY job with gloves and a small scoop. If the gully is clean but still overflowing, or if there is a smell or visible sewage, the problem is in the drain below the gully — that needs rods, jetting or CCTV.

When an External Drain Signals a Bigger Problem

An outside chamber with sewage visible in it, or standing water that rises in the chamber during rainfall, indicates a blockage or restriction further down the drain run. This is the point to call us — an overflowing chamber means the problem is no longer contained.

Related services: Drain Unblocking · Drain Jetting · Soakaway Installation