What you need to know
Not all drainage runs where you'd expect, especially in older Yorkshire properties where extensions, alterations and DIY plumbing have happened over many decades. Before breaking ground on an extension, new build, garden room, conservatory or driveway, you need to know exactly where your underground pipes are — their routes, depths and connections. Drain tracing gives you that information without any excavation.
We use professional electromagnetic locating equipment alongside CCTV cameras to trace the exact path of your drainage system underground. A transmitter sonde is passed through the pipes via the CCTV camera, and our surface receiver equipment pinpoints its position and depth at every point along the route. The result is a precise scaled drainage plan you can hand to your architect, structural engineer or Building Control officer.
Whether you need drain tracing for a planning application, a Build Over Agreement with Yorkshire Water, a boundary dispute, a soakaway assessment for SuDS compliance, or simply to understand your property's drainage layout before starting any work — Yorkshire Drain Survey delivers accurate, professional results across the whole of Yorkshire. The plan is yours to keep and is suitable for re-use across multiple projects.
The most common reason clients book us is for extensions and conversions where the design either crosses a known drain or is too close to it for comfort. Building over a public sewer typically requires a formal Build Over Agreement, which in turn requires an accurate plan showing pipe position, depth and condition. We routinely produce the documentation packages used to support these applications, and we've worked with the standard architectural practices across Leeds, Sheffield, Harrogate and York for years — so the plans drop straight into their workflow.
Tracing is also essential when there is no existing record of the drainage. Many older Yorkshire properties have lost their as-built drawings (or never had them) and the water company plans only show public sewers, not private drainage on the property. In those cases we're producing your only authoritative drainage plan — useful not just for current works but also for future maintenance, repairs and resale.
Tracing & Mapping Package
Electromagnetic Pipe Tracing
Precision sonde and receiver equipment to trace pipe routes from the surface without any digging. 33kHz and 512Hz sondes for surface and deep-pipe location.
Depth Measurement
Accurate depth readings at key points along the drainage route, critical for foundation and building works.
Drainage Mapping Plan
Professional scaled plan showing all traced drainage routes, connections and access points. Drawn as PDF and CAD-compatible format on request.
GPS Coordinates
GPS-referenced data points for accurate positioning on site plans and OS maps. Useful for larger sites or compliance documentation.
As-Built Drawings
Detailed drawings suitable for architects, structural engineers and Building Control. Compatible with most CAD workflows.
Planning Documentation
Reports and plans formatted for submission with planning applications, Build Over Agreements and building regulations.
Combined CCTV Survey
Tracing is always combined with a CCTV inspection of the pipe — so you know not just where it is, but what condition it's in.
Soakaway & Surface Water Tracing
We can identify surface water destinations including soakaways and rainwater outfalls — useful for SuDS compliance and drainage strategy work.
Why Yorkshire Drain Survey
Precision Equipment
We use industry-leading electromagnetic tracing equipment (Radiodetection and equivalent) for accurate results you can build on — literally.
Combined CCTV & Tracing
We combine CCTV survey with tracing for the most complete picture of your drainage system. The two together cost less than booking each separately.
Architect & Planner Friendly
Our mapping plans and reports are designed to meet the requirements of architects, engineers and Yorkshire planning authorities. CAD-format output available on request.
Build Over Agreement Specialists
We regularly produce the documentation packages used for Yorkshire Water Build Over Agreement applications and have worked through plenty of them with local architects.
Frequently Asked Questions
Drain tracing uses electromagnetic equipment to locate the exact route and depth of underground drainage pipes from the surface. A transmitter sonde is passed through the pipe via a CCTV camera, and a receiver on the surface detects its signal, allowing us to map the pipe's path precisely without any excavation. We then mark the route on site and produce a scaled plan.
Building over or near drainage can cause structural problems and is restricted by building regulations. For public sewers, a formal Build Over Agreement with the water authority is required — and they need an accurate drainage plan to approve it. Knowing the exact position and depth of drains before you design an extension, foundation or new structure prevents costly redesigns, mid-build discoveries and potential damage to the pipe.
A Build Over Agreement is a formal consent from Yorkshire Water (or your local water company) to build over or close to a public sewer. They require a drainage plan showing pipe position, depth and condition, plus design details of your build. We produce the drainage plan and CCTV evidence routinely; your architect handles the build details and submission.
In typical conditions, electromagnetic tracing is accurate to within 5-10cm for position and within about 10% of depth. Accuracy can be affected by nearby utilities (especially other metallic services that can pick up the signal), heavily reinforced concrete, depth beyond 3-4m, and certain pipe materials. Our engineers note any reliability caveats on the plan.
The plan shows traced routes of all drainage pipes, their depths at key points, connection positions, manhole and inspection chamber locations, pipe direction of flow, and any defects identified by the accompanying CCTV. It's drawn to scale and can be overlaid on existing site plans, architect drawings or OS extracts.
For most building projects, yes — CCTV tells you the condition of the pipes (does it need attention before you build over it?), while tracing tells you where they are (can your design work around them?). We typically combine both services in a single visit because it's the most cost-effective and gives you both pieces of information from one survey.
Yes — surface water drainage routes and soakaway locations can be traced the same way as foul drainage. This is increasingly important for SuDS-compliant design and for understanding where roof and yard water actually goes. We routinely trace soakaways for clients planning sloped excavations or driveway replacements.
Yes — our plans are produced to the format and accuracy levels expected by RIBA-registered architects, structural engineers and Building Control officers across Yorkshire. CAD-compatible output is available on request if your designer needs to import the plan into their software directly.
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