News & Projects

Percolation testing news and recent projects

Sites we have tested recently, and the occasional bit of guidance on soakaways, septic tanks and the drainage conditions that come attached to planning permission.

Percolation Tests: Solihull

The site. Land at Lanchester Way, Solihull (B36 9LE), where a proposed development needed soakaway testing before the surface water drainage could be designed. What we did. On 8 October 2018, in light showers, we dug three trial pits in…

Percolation Tests: Kidderminster

The site. The Musketeer, Avon Road, Kidderminster, where a proposed development needed soakaway testing for its planning application. What we did. On 18 September 2018, in dry, bright weather, we dug two trial pits: Each was filled to a water…

Percolation Test: Buildwas, Telford (BRE 365)

The site. A site at Appleby, Buildwas, in the Severn valley near Telford. What we did. Trial pits at different points across the site, tested to BRE 365. What we found. The ground conditions varied across the site, and the…

Infiltration Test: Grafton, Hereford (BS 6297)

The site. A property at Ashley Farm, Grafton, just south of Hereford, with no mains foul drainage. A treatment plant needed a drainage field. What we did. Infiltration testing to the BS 6297 method used under Part H to size…

Percolation Test: Smethwick, Birmingham (BRE 365)

The site. A plot at Little Moor Hill, Smethwick, near Birmingham, where soakaways were proposed for the surface water. What we did. Four test locations were planned. Tests A and B were carried out in natural ground to BRE 365.…

Percolation Tests: Coventry Road, Exhall, Coventry

The site. The rear garden next to 166 Coventry Road, Exhall, near Coventry, where a single new dwelling was proposed. The planning application needed evidence of whether a soakaway could take the surface water. What we did. Access was the…

Percolation Test: Shifnal, Shropshire (BRE 365)

The site. Land to the rear of Tudor Close, off Aston Street in Shifnal, Shropshire, where the planning application needed soakaway testing. What we did. Two trial holes tested to BRE 365. Access was tight, so the crew used a…