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Blocked Drains and Drain Unblocking in Hitchin
Rated 5.0 on Google · Fully insured
For drain unblocking in Hitchin, the first question is often whose job it is. The short answer: if it's your drain, our team can unblock it, usually on the same visit. We're a short drive away in Letchworth Garden City, and Hitchin homeowners already know our work. In September 2026 a Hitchin family reviewed the full bathroom renovation we'd finished for them.
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Open 7am to 9pm Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm Saturday and Sunday.
£5M public liability
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Is it your drain, the water company's or the council's?
- Your drain: the pipework inside your property boundary that serves only your home. Keeping it clear is down to you, and that's the part we unblock and repair.
- The water company's: a drain shared with neighbours, and the pipe running from your boundary to the public sewer, are normally the responsibility of the sewerage company. Around Hitchin that's Anglian Water.
- The council's: gullies and drains on public roads belong to Hertfordshire County Council. You can report a blocked road drain on hertfordshire.gov.uk.
Not sure which it is? Lift a manhole cover if it's safe to do so. If the chamber on your side is clear but the next one down is full, the blockage is probably further along, in the shared or public section.
How we unblock drains in Hitchin
We look first. We check the gullies, manholes and inside wastes to find where the blockage is.
We clear it. Rods for a simple blockage near the surface, or high pressure jetting for grease, silt or a blockage further down.
We test it. We run water through to make sure it flows freely.
We leave it clean. Mess is cleaned up before we go, and we tell you what caused it and how to avoid it next time.
Drain surveys and repairs in Hitchin
If the same drain blocks again after it’s been cleared, something inside the pipe is catching the waste. We send a camera along the drain to find it, and the survey also shows whose section the problem is in. That matters in Hitchin, where so many older homes share a drain run: if the damage is on a shared or public section, it’s normally Anglian Water’s to put right, and we’ll tell you so you can report it to them.
If the damage is on your own drain, we agree the repair with you before any work begins. A crack or an open joint in one spot can be sealed from inside the pipe. Damage along a longer stretch can be relined with a resin lining that sets hard inside the old pipe, so nothing needs digging up. A section that has collapsed has to be dug out and replaced. Every repair we make is guaranteed for 12 months.
Signs a drain is starting to block
- Sinks and showers emptying slowly
- Gurgling from plugholes when another tap runs
- A smell from drains or the outside gully
- The gully outside overflowing in the rain
- The toilet water rising when you flush
Many of Hitchin's Victorian terraces and Georgian houses near the centre share drain runs with the houses either side, so one blockage can show up in a neighbour's gully first. We clear drains right across the town, from Bearton, Benslow and Purwell to Walsworth, Westmill, Highbury and Oughton, and out to Ickleford, Pirton and St Ippolyts.
Google Reviews
What Our Customers Say
“JLP Plumbing was really useful after calling them out for an emergency plumbing call. They were really quick and efficient with the job. Lovely group of lads who were happy to talk me through everything.”
“My wife put a positive review but just wanted to reiterate her message. The group at JLP plumbing were great with the emergency plumbing call out. Everything was left clean after and done efficiently. Will definitely go to them when I do my bathroom plumbing.”
When you can reach us
7am to 9pm Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm on Saturday and Sunday. Call 01462 510001 or WhatsApp a photo of the drain to 07719 056800, and we reply to enquiries within 2 hours.
Blocked drain questions from Hitchin
Do the council deal with blocked drains?
Who is responsible for a shared drain in Hitchin?
Can you come out today in Hitchin?
Can you clear a blocked toilet in Hitchin as well?
How do I unblock a shower drain?
Updated October 2026
JLP Plumbing, Business Centre West, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, SG6 2HB · 01462 510001