Percolation Tests carries out BRE365 soakaway percolation testing and foul infiltration testing across Tamworth and the surrounding area on the Staffordshire-Warwickshire border.
We are based in Wolverhampton, roughly 18 miles away, so Tamworth is genuinely local work rather than a long trip. We have carried out 55 tests within fifteen miles of Tamworth and 124 within twenty-five, so the ground around the town is familiar to us.
Ground conditions in Tamworth
Tamworth sits at the confluence of the Tame and Anker rivers on a mix of river alluvium and Mercia Mudstone clay. The floodplain areas close to the rivers typically drain slowly and can have a high water table, while ground further from the valley floor tends to percolate somewhat better — a distinction that matters when siting and sizing a soakaway.
In practice that means results around Tamworth are rarely uniform. Sandstone can take water well, but where glacial till, boulder clay or made ground sits over it the picture changes within a very short distance — one corner of a plot can drain freely while another barely moves. Ground water matters here too: BRE365 requires the base of a soakaway to stay clear of the water table, and a site can fail on that alone however well the soil itself drains. None of it can be read off a map, which is why the test is asked for.
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 Tamworth
Applications in the Tamworth area are dealt with by Tamworth 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.
Septic tanks and foul drainage
Surface water and foul drainage are tested differently, and the results are not interchangeable. A drainage field for a septic tank or treatment plant is sized using BS 6297, which Part H of the Building Regulations refers to. If your site near Tamworth needs both a soakaway and a drainage field, we can carry out both tests in one visit rather than two.
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 Tamworth, Fazeley, Polesworth, 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 Tamworth. Call 01902 475653 or request a quote online.
Percolation testing around Tamworth
Each dot is a site we have tested. 15 within ten miles of Tamworth, 103 within twenty-five.
Also serving Staffordshire
This page is part of our coverage across Staffordshire, which also includes:
Recent work near Tamworth
