Plumbing and Drainage Restoration at The Globe, Moorgate – Mitchells & Butlers

Project Snapshot

Client	Mitchells & Butlers
Sector	Hospitality
Location	The Globe, 83 Moorgate, London EC2M 6SA
Services	Plumbing pipework replacement, drainage clearance, descaling
Duration	1 day (Sunday)
Challenge	Inaccessible defective pipework in a ceiling void causing leaks and flooding, venue only available on Sundays

Overview

The Globe in Moorgate had just come through a five-week refurbishment. Almost immediately, the newly finished venue had a problem: the pipework serving the upstairs toilets was failing, and it was hidden in a ceiling void that nobody could easily get to.

The blockages were causing leaks at push-fit joints. Water was getting into the upstairs bar area and dripping to the floor below. For a pub in the City of London that trades six days a week, the cost of closing for repairs, or worse, leaving the problem unresolved, was out of the question.

LDF deployed three experienced plumbers on a Sunday, coordinated with the building contractor, and had the job done before the venue needed to reopen. One day. No revenue lost. Problem solved.

The Challenge

The pipework serving the upstairs toilets at The Globe had developed severe bellying, where sections of pipe sag and create low points, along with significant internal scale build-up over time. The combination meant chronic blockages, and those blockages were causing backpressure that pushed water out through the push-fit joints connecting sections of pipe.

The result was water appearing in two places it shouldn’t: leaking into the upstairs bar area, and dripping through to the floor below.

The complicating factor was access. The pipework ran entirely through a ceiling void, concealed behind finished surfaces and service boxing. Getting to it required partial removal of the ceiling structure, which meant coordinating with the building contractor who had carried out the recent refurbishment.

And the venue only closed on Sundays. That gave LDF one day.

Our Approach

Three LDF plumbers attended on a Sunday morning, working in close coordination with the client’s building contractor, who was on site to assist with ceiling access.

The team carefully removed sections of ceiling and service boxing to expose the defective pipework, methodically, to avoid unnecessary damage to the finished surfaces surrounding the void. Once accessible, the failed pipework was removed completely.

In its place, the team installed robust solvent-weld pipework, a significantly more durable solution than the push-fit system it replaced, and one that eliminates the joint-leak risk entirely. The new pipework was securely bracketed and braced throughout to prevent future sagging and the belly formation that had caused the original blockages.

With the defective sections replaced, the team then descaled the existing pipework that remained in the system, restoring free-flowing drainage throughout.

Finally, in collaboration with the building contractor, the team installed accessible service points at key locations throughout the newly upgraded system. This means that if maintenance or inspection is needed in the future, it can be carried out without repeating the ceiling removal, a practical, long-term improvement to the system’s serviceability.

All works were completed within the one-day window, with the building contractor reinstating ceiling sections before the venue reopened.

The Outcome

The Globe’s pipework issues were fully resolved in a single Sunday. No leaks, no flooding to the floors below, and no interruption to trading. The replacement pipework is more durable than the original system and correctly supported to prevent the sagging that caused the problem in the first place. Accessible service points are now in place for future maintenance.

For a recently refurbished venue in one of London’s busiest commercial districts, the outcome is exactly what the client needed: a permanent fix delivered on the only day it was possible, without the disruption that a multi-day closure would have caused.

About This Project Type

Concealed pipework failures in commercial hospitality settings are common, ceiling voids, service risers, and back-of-house drainage systems are often inaccessible without careful structural access, and they’re rarely identified until blockages become leaks. Working within a single Sunday window required precise coordination between LDF’s plumbers and the building contractor, with ceiling reinstatement completed before the venue opened.

The accessible service points installed as part of this project are a practical improvement beyond the scope of the original repair, they allow future inspection and maintenance without repeating the ceiling removal.

LDF works with hospitality operators on reactive call-outs, plumbing repairs, drainage clearance, and planned maintenance programmes. For multi-site portfolios, PPM contracts are available across all sites.

Work with LDF

Call our 24-hour helpline: 0800 612 2179
Or visit: london-drainage.com/commercial/

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