Damaged Manhole Covers Replaced in Oxfordshire – Preventing Trip Hazards and Blockages

Manhole Cover Replacement in Oxfordshire

We don’t just unblock drains, we make sure your property is left safe and in good condition.

Sometimes we come across broken or damaged manhole covers, which if left alone can become bigger problems in the future – in particular they can be prime trip or fall hazards and even become a nuisance and damage your lawnmower during grass cutting season (if we get any days suitable for cutting the lawn, that is).

If a chamber is damaged or blocked, you may also need professional drain unblocking.

Recently we were called out to a blocked drain near Witney, causing the customer’s ground floor toilet to back up. Whilst clearing the blockage, it was clear that the surround for the cover in the front garden was crumbling, where someone could trip over and hurt themselves.

At this point, we never like to “upsell” under pressure, and the problem wasn’t immediate, so we informed the customer and gave a quote, informing them they could do this themselves if they were comfortable with it and DIY-savvy, or a local handyman type could do the work.

Our priority was letting them know about the health & safety issue.

Here you can see the frame was removed intact, which meant we could reuse it and save the customer the cost of a new cover and frame.

This was ideal, as it meant once the frame was cleaned and old concrete removed, it would be a case of doing the same to the chamber, making sure the old concrete was removed so there was a flat surface where the frame would sit once again on top of the chamber, ready to be reseated.

Below you can see Before, During and After (unfortunately the area had to be covered up swiftly at the end because heavy rain caught us out, but you can see the fresh, new bedding the cover was embedded into).

How Long Does a Manhole Cover Replacement Take?

This particular job we carried out took only around two hours as it was a lightweight cover and the frame & cover were intact.

The customer was advised to stay off the area for 24-48 hours, but the work itself was relatively quick and cost effective.

However, it may not be your responsibility (or cost) to repair a manhole cover if it’s a shared drain or off your property boundary:

Shared Drain Responsibility

This cover was found on the other side of the customer’s fence.

When unblocking a toilet for a commercial customer on an industrial estate, we found this corroded cover.

As it was both shared with another site and off the customer’s boundary, the landlord of the whole site was informed and they will deal with it.

Some quick checks to see who is responsible:

• Is the cover outside of your property?
• Do your neighbours join the chamber in your property?
• Does the cover have water authority branding on it? For example Thames Water on the cover design.

If any of the above apply, you’re better off checking with your local water authority.

If it’s just your property, and it needs attention, give us a call.

Water Authority

Contact DrainHub

If you’ve noticed a damaged manhole cover or loose frame around your property, it’s best to deal with it before it becomes a safety issue and causes avoidable blockages.