Maximising Value, Minimising Risk:

WJ Shirley have been the UK’s leading provider of drainage advice and costs in Transactional Due Diligence since 1960. 

As a result, we understand the importance of assessing every aspect of the drainage system to ensure all liabilities are identified. Our drainage consultants can then provide a clear overview of current and future risks and associated costs.

While structural defects and the general state of repair are commonly associated with drainage issues, compliance failures and environmental risks often pose even greater challenges and costs.

Approximately 30% of defects we find in an inspection relate to environmental risk. 

Poorly maintained drainage systems can create a pathway linking a source to a receptor, allowing for environmental pollution.

Pressure washers and vehicle wash-downs are a key area of pollution. The Water Industry Act 1991 prevents any discharge from a wash-down or pressure washer to discharge to a surface-water sewer yet this is a common area of non-compliance.

The implications of this can include irreparable damage, loss of reputation and significant fines.

These liabilities wouldn’t be assessed in a standard CCTV inspection or in a Phase 1 Environmental. They also wouldn’t be visible to the human eye – the only way to know is by instructing a drainage inspection. 

In 2024, we found approximately £9 million worth of associated environmental costs. Risks that would have been otherwise overlooked by our competitors.

Unlike other drainage specialists, our CCTV inspections include an evaluation of every factor in the system, providing information on every defect, recommended remedial costs and a future maintenance plan – at no additional cost! Providing a cost-effective service in both the long and short term for the client.