Percolation Tests carries out BRE365 soakaway percolation testing and foul infiltration testing across Newcastle-under-Lyme and the surrounding North Staffordshire area.
We are based in Wolverhampton, about 30 miles away, and Newcastle-under-Lyme is well inside the area we cover as standard. We have carried out 17 tests within fifteen miles of Newcastle-under-Lyme and 68 within twenty-five, so the ground around the town is familiar to us.
Ground conditions in Newcastle-under-Lyme
Like neighbouring Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme sits on the North Staffordshire coalfield, where historic mining activity has left made ground and disturbed strata in many areas alongside the natural marl clay geology. This history means percolation results can be quite unpredictable without an on-site test, particularly on former industrial or colliery land.
The bigger complication around Newcastle-under-Lyme is made ground. Generations of industry, quarrying and shallow coal working have left fill of very variable depth and composition, and it is a common reason for a soakaway design being questioned at planning. Infiltration through made ground can be quick in one trial pit and negligible in the next, so testing where the soakaway is actually going matters more here than almost anywhere. It is worth testing early: if infiltration is not viable, the whole drainage strategy has to change.
What we test for
- BRE365 percolation testing for surface water soakaway design
- Foul effluent infiltration testing (Part H) for septic tanks and treatment plants
- Drainage strategy support for planning submissions
What the testing actually involves
The procedure is defined by BRE Digest 365. It is worth knowing what it requires, because a test that cuts corners is easy to spot at planning.
- Trial pits go in where the soakaway is proposed, dug below the depth it will eventually sit at. How many is a matter of site size and design.
- Each pit is filled to at least 75% of its effective storage depth, the point the timed measurement runs from.
- Each pit is then filled and timed on three separate occasions, recording the fall from 75% to 25% of the effective storage depth.
- The slowest run governs the calculation, so the figure errs towards caution rather than optimism.
All of that takes time, and we plan the visit around it. If the ground will not support a soakaway we will say so plainly rather than produce a figure that fails later.
Planning conditions in Newcastle-under-Lyme
Applications in the Newcastle-under-Lyme area are dealt with by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, and drainage conditions are attached routinely — particularly on rural plots, barn conversions and self-builds with no mains surface water connection. The condition normally asks for infiltration testing to BRE365 and a soakaway design based on the result, approved before work starts.
Testing early is worth the trouble. If infiltration turns out not to be viable the drainage strategy has to change, and discovering that after the groundworks are priced is an expensive surprise.
Foul drainage and septic tanks
If the site is not on mains foul drainage that is a separate test. Drainage fields for septic tanks and package treatment plants are sized by the method in BS 6297, referenced by Part H of the Building Regulations, and that figure is not interchangeable with a BRE365 result. Plenty of rural sites around Newcastle-under-Lyme need both, and we can do them on the same visit.
What you receive
- A full report with the recorded times for every pit and every fill
- The calculated infiltration rate, ready to hand to your engineer or planner
- Trial pit locations and depths
- Photographs of the testing on site
- A clear statement of whether a soakaway is viable, and if not, why not
Coverage
We test across Newcastle-under-Lyme, Silverdale, Chesterton, and the surrounding villages. Available Monday to Friday.
Get a quote
Contact us for a free, no-obligation quote for percolation or infiltration testing anywhere in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Call 01902 475653 or request a quote online.
Percolation testing around Newcastle-under-Lyme
Each dot is a site we have tested. 4 within ten miles of Newcastle-under-Lyme, 58 within twenty-five.
Also serving Staffordshire
This page is part of our coverage across Staffordshire, which also includes:
Recent work near Newcastle-under-Lyme
