Underslab Drainage Rehabilitation at a Life Sciences Facility, Amersham Place
Project Snapshot
| Client | Global Life Sciences Solutions Operations UK Ltd |
|---|---|
| Sector | FM & Property |
| Location | Amersham Place, Little Chalfont, HP7 9NA |
| Services | CCTV drain survey, Picote cleaning and descaling, root cutting, drain lining and patching, confined space inspection, excavation and pipework replacement |
| Duration | 20 days |
| Challenge | Full underslab drainage network across a live operational facility found to require cleaning, lining, patching, root cutting, and excavation on collapsed sections |
Overview
Global Life Sciences Solutions Operations UK Ltd operates a facility at Amersham Place in Little Chalfont. When the underslab drainage system began showing signs of failure, the client engaged LDF to carry out a full CCTV survey and address whatever the survey found.
What the survey found required a comprehensive rehabilitation programme: sections needing lining and patching, pipework requiring cleaning, descaling, and root cutting, and in the most serious cases, sections that had collapsed and needed excavating and replacing entirely. LDF delivered the full scope, from initial survey through to post-repair re-survey, across a live operational site.
The Challenge
Underslab drainage is, by its nature, out of sight. In an operational facility, that means problems develop slowly and often go undetected until the consequences become visible: slow drainage, odours, or localised flooding. By the time a drainage failure is noticed at surface level, the pipework below is often in a significantly worse condition than the symptoms suggest.
At Amersham Place, the initial survey confirmed the drainage system required urgent attention across multiple fault types. The scope was not a single targeted repair, it was a full rehabilitation of the network.
The work also presented a practical challenge in the inspection phase. Larger diameter pipework at 225mm could not be surveyed with standard push-rod camera equipment. A specialist crawler unit and a trained confined space team were required to complete the survey and confirm the condition of those sections.
Our Approach
LDF began with a thorough CCTV survey of all accessible underslab drainage across the site, using both standard inspection equipment and a specialist crawler unit for the larger 225mm pipework. The crawler inspection was carried out by a trained 3-person team equipped for confined space working. The full survey gave a clear, section-by-section picture of the drainage network’s condition before any repair work began.
With the survey complete, the rehabilitation programme was structured around four types of intervention, applied according to the condition of each section.
Cleaning, descaling and root cutting: Picote machinery was deployed to clean the pipework, remove scale build-up, and cut through any root ingress, preparing the affected sections for lining and confirming that any organic blockages were fully cleared before the repair works proceeded.
Lining and patching: Extensive lining and patching works were carried out across the network using 100mm and 150mm materials, restoring structural integrity to sections with fractures, open joints, and deteriorated pipe walls without the need for excavation.
Excavation and replacement: Where sections had collapsed beyond the point where lining was viable, LDF excavated and removed the damaged pipework and replaced it with BS-approved equivalents, backfilling to match the existing surface. This was the appropriate response where no-dig methods could not deliver a lasting repair.
Post-repair re-survey: On completion of all works, LDF carried out a full re-survey of every section to confirm the repairs had been executed correctly and the drainage network was performing as it should. The client received a clear record of the works and the confirmed outcome.
The Outcome
The underslab drainage system at Amersham Place was fully rehabilitated. All identified defects were addressed: lined, patched, cleaned, or replaced depending on condition. The post-repair survey confirmed the integrity of the repaired network across all sections.
The facility continued to operate throughout the works. On completion, the drainage system was functioning correctly and the client had a comprehensive survey record covering both the pre-repair condition and the confirmed post-repair state.
About This Project Type
Underslab drainage rehabilitation in commercial and industrial facilities typically involves a wider scope than it appears at the outset. A single fault type is rarely the issue: in practice, a drainage network that has been in service for years tends to present a combination of scale build-up, root ingress, lining failure, and in some cases structural collapse. A thorough CCTV survey is the only reliable way to establish the full picture before committing to a repair programme.
LDF carries the full range of equipment needed to take this type of project from survey to completion in a single engagement: push-rod cameras and large-diameter crawler units for inspection, Picote machinery for cleaning and root cutting, lining and patching materials from 100mm to 150mm, and excavation teams for collapsed sections. The post-repair re-survey is included as standard, ensuring the client has documented evidence of the condition before and after.
For facilities managers and estates teams responsible for operational buildings with ageing drainage infrastructure, a planned CCTV survey programme is the most cost-effective way to identify issues before they become urgent.
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