Blocked Drains Barnstaple
Exjet covers Barnstaple and North Devon 24 hours a day, every day of the year — from the town centre out to Braunton, Bideford, South Molton and the coast. We work for householders, landlords, farms, holiday parks and commercial sites, from a blocked gully to a collapsed sewer. There is no call-out charge, and our engineers carry jetting and CCTV equipment on board, so most jobs are diagnosed and dealt with in a single visit.
what we do
Barnstaple sits at the tidal head of the Taw, where the river turns to estuary. That governs a great deal of the drainage here: a low-lying town centre, surface water with nowhere to go on a high tide, and outfalls that back up when rainfall and tide arrive together. Beyond the town the pattern changes completely — scattered farms and villages, almost all of them off mains drainage.
Exjet has been clearing and repairing drains across the South West since 1986. We bring the same equipment and standards to a cottage in Braunton that we use on adopted sewers and commercial contracts: high-pressure jetting to shift the blockage, a CCTV survey to establish what caused it, and a written recommendation if the pipe itself needs work.
Estuary, Town and Farm Drainage
The older parts of Barnstaple — Pilton, Newport and the streets behind the Strand — still run largely on Victorian clay pipework, prone to displaced joints and root ingress. Newer estates at Roundswell and Whiddon Valley fail differently, usually through build-up and misuse rather than structural damage.
Out towards Braunton, Fremington and the Taw and Torridge villages, the common calls are septic tanks that have not been emptied on schedule and soakaways that have silted up and stopped taking water. We survey before we quote, and we will tell you if a clean will do rather than sell you a repair.
Why Choose Exjet in Barnstaple
Exjet has been working on drains and sewers across the South West since 1986. Our engineers are directly employed rather than subcontracted, which is why standards hold steady from one job to the next. We carry Constructionline Gold, SSIP/SMAS, CHAS and SafeContractor accreditation, along with ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 — so we are equally at home on an adopted sewer, a council contract or a domestic drain behind a cottage.
You get a straight explanation of what was wrong, what we did and whether anything still needs attention. No call-out charge, no jargon, and no pressure to buy a repair you do not need.
Exjet has been trading since 1986 and remains owned and run by the founding family. Read how.
AREAS WE COVER IN BARNSTAPLE & NORTH DEVON
Our engineers cover the Barnstaple postcodes — EX31 and EX32 — including the town centre, Pilton, Newport, Sticklepath, Roundswell, Whiddon Valley, Bishop’s Tawton, Fremington and Landkey.
We also cover the wider North Devon districts: EX33 Braunton, EX34 Ilfracombe and Woolacombe, EX39 Bideford, Appledore and Westward Ho!, EX38 Great Torrington, EX36 South Molton, EX37 Umberleigh and Chulmleigh, and EX35 Lynton and Lynmouth.
Barnstaple sits at the tidal head of the Taw, so the low-lying centre can see surface water backing up when heavy rain meets a high tide, while the older Victorian stock around Pilton and Newport often has clay pipework prone to root ingress. Beyond the towns, North Devon is overwhelmingly off mains drainage, with septic tanks and soakaways to match. Our vans carry high-pressure jetting and CCTV survey equipment as standard, so we can diagnose and clear most problems on the first visit.
Those districts are where most of our North Devon work happens, not the limit of it. Exjet covers Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset — if you sit just outside the list, it is still worth a call.
Further south? We have dedicated pages for Exeter and Taunton.
Nearby areas: inland and south east, see Tiverton and Mid Devon. South towards the moor, see West Devon.
Drainage FAQs Barnstaple
Do you offer emergency drainage callouts in Barnstaple?
Yes. Exjet runs a 24-hour callout service across Barnstaple and North Devon, every day of the year. If a drain is overflowing, a toilet will not flush or water is backing up into the property, call 0800 328 6655 and we will get an engineer to you.
Which North Devon areas do you cover?
We cover EX31 to EX39 — Barnstaple, Braunton, Ilfracombe, Bideford, Torrington, South Molton, Chulmleigh and Lynton — plus the surrounding villages including Fremington, Landkey, Bishop’s Tawton, Appledore and Westward Ho!. If you are unsure whether you are in range, call and ask.
What kinds of blockages can you clear?
Sinks, toilets, baths, showers, outside gullies, yard drains, soil stacks, surface-water runs and main sewer connections, along with septic tanks and treatment plants. We work on domestic, holiday-park, agricultural and commercial systems.
How do you find what is causing a blockage?
Usually by inspection and flow testing, which is often enough. Where a problem keeps returning or the cause is not visible, we run a CCTV camera down the line and record what we find, so you can see the fault rather than take our word for it.
Can you fix drains that keep blocking?
Yes. In North Devon a drain that blocks repeatedly usually has a structural cause — a displaced joint, root ingress, a collapsed section, or a tidal outfall that surcharges in heavy rain. We survey the line, establish the cause and set out the options rather than simply jetting it again.
Is there a call-out charge?
No. There is no call-out charge anywhere in North Devon. We explain what the work involves and what it will cost before we begin.