What could be lurking in your drains?
Unblocking and cleaning drains always throws up a few surprises, but over the years we have made some truly incredible discoveries!
As the experts in drain cleaning London property owners trust, we have come across the usual suspects while carrying out our work: blockages caused by wet wipes, food deposits, and hair. Sometimes though, we come across something that surprises even our experienced team of engineers. Here are seven of the strangest things we have found in drains.
A bullet
We have our fair share of stories – but finding a bullet while we were cleaning a drain has to be one of the most interesting! Luckily for the property owner, there was no weapon to be found alongside the bullet, and no damage had been done to the drain.
A gold bracelet
While we were carrying out high pressure water jetting through a manhole, we discovered a 15ct gold bracelet – giving a whole new meaning to the term buried treasure. All things considered, the bracelet was found in pretty good condition! We found out that similar pieces can have a value of up to £2,000, it was a very welcome surprise for the property owner.
A hedgehog
When we come across wildlife, it is usually when we are working outside. However, we had an encounter with a little prickly friend while we were working in a customer’s bathroom. Yes, we found a hedgehog in a toilet! With the help of some very thick gloves and the patience of our team, the little critter was carefully removed and safely rehomed.
Underwear
We’ll never know quite how it ended up in a drain in the first place, but our team have also come across underwear while carrying out their work. Now, it’d be easy to assume that this wouldn’t cause too much damage – but even the skimpiest smalls can become lodged and cause a blockage! We managed to remove the offending item and be on our way in no time at all.
A dinner plate
We often tell our customers to refrain from putting food down the drain, but one of our discoveries took that to the next level. We once found a plate in a drain – far from anything you’d call fine dining! We were able to remove it successfully, restoring the customer’s drains to full working order. However, we don’t think they will be re-using the plate any time soon!
A wig
Things got a little hairy when we removed a wig from a manhole! We’re used to finding hair in drains – this happens when people shower without a cover on their plugholes. This was definitely the first time we found a wig though – we’re not sure if it was in wearable condition afterwards!
Cannabis leaves
We once found a blockage caused by an abundance of cannabis leaves. We suspect this was down to the plants being grown illegally in an upper-floor flat, which was affecting other apartments on the property. Using our Spartan 300 machine, it took approximately 4 hours to clear the blockage.
Get in touch today
Whatever we find in a drain, you can count on us to deal with the issue with compassion and discretion, maintaining our professionalism no matter what surprises lie in store! To find out more, get in touch today.