How Much Does a CCTV Drain Survey Cost?

A CCTV drain survey lets you see exactly what's going on inside your drains without digging anything up. A small camera is fed through the pipes, recording everything on video. You get a clear picture of the condition of your drainage system — cracks, blockages, root ingress, collapsed sections, displaced joints, the lot.

But how much does it actually cost? Here's a straight answer.

What Does a CCTV Drain Survey Cost?

At UK Drainage Services, CCTV drain surveys start from £150. That includes full HD footage and a written condition report. Here's what you can expect across the market:

• Standard CCTV survey — £100-£300. A push-rod camera survey of the main drainage runs. This is what most homeowners need.
• Pre-purchase/homebuyer survey — £150-£400. Same camera survey but with a formal report formatted for solicitors and mortgage companies.
• Full site survey with GPS mapping — £300-£1,000+. For larger properties, commercial sites, or development work. Uses GPS-tracked crawler cameras and produces CAD-compatible drainage maps.
• Crawler survey (large diameter pipes) — £500+. Self-propelled cameras for pipes from 150mm to 1200mm. Typically commercial or infrastructure work.

What's Included in Our Price?

Our standard survey from £150 includes:

• Full HD camera survey of accessible drainage runs
• Written condition report identifying any defects
• Footage supplied on request (USB or digital link)
• Clear recommendations for any work needed
• No obligation — the report is yours to use however you wish

If you're having a survey alongside a drain unblocking job, ask about our package pricing — bundling the two together is often cheaper than booking separately.

What Affects the Price?

Property size and pipe length

A small terraced house with 10-15 metres of drainage takes less time to survey than a detached property with 50+ metres of runs, multiple manholes, and separate foul and surface water systems.

Access

If manholes are buried, covered, or in difficult locations, the engineer may need to spend time locating and accessing them before the survey can begin.

Type of report needed

A simple condition check for your own information costs less than a formal pre-purchase report that needs specific formatting for a solicitor or mortgage company.

Pipe condition

If the pipes are heavily blocked or silted, they may need jetting before the camera can get a clear view. This adds to the overall cost but gives you an accurate survey rather than footage of silt.

When Do You Need a CCTV Drain Survey?

A survey is worth the investment when:

• Buying a property — a pre-purchase drain survey can reveal problems that a standard house survey misses entirely. Much cheaper than discovering a collapsed drain after you've exchanged.
• Recurring blockages — if the same drain keeps blocking, there's usually a structural reason. A survey identifies the root cause so you can fix it permanently.
• Planning an extension — you need to know where the drains are before building over or near them. You may need a Build Over Agreement from the water company.
• Insurance claims — insurers want evidence of what's wrong before they'll pay out. Our reports are formatted to meet insurer requirements. See our guide on drain damage and home insurance.
• Selling a property — a drainage report can prevent sale fall-throughs by addressing buyer concerns upfront.

When You Probably Don't Need One

A survey isn't always necessary:

• Simple one-off blockage — if you've never had a blockage before and it clears easily with jetting, there's usually no need for a survey. A competent engineer can tell from the jetting whether there are underlying issues.
• New-build property — the drainage was installed to current building regs and should have been surveyed at handover.

We'll always give you honest advice about whether a survey is worthwhile for your situation. We'd rather tell you it's not needed than sell you something you don't need.

Book a CCTV drain survey from £150. Call 0333 577 4242 or visit our pricing page for all services.