Services
Utility surveys and mapping
A utility survey finds and maps what is buried under a site: electricity and telecoms cables, gas and water pipes, and drainage. It tells your designer and groundworker where the services run and how deep, before anyone starts digging.
What you receive
- A drawing of every service found, colour-coded by type
- Depths where they can be detected
- Drainage runs with cover and invert levels, pipe sizes and flow directions where covers can be lifted
- Utility company records gathered and compared with what is found on site
- Each service labelled with the PAS 128 quality level it was located to
- AutoCAD (.dwg) and PDF files, combined with a topographical survey on request
When you need one
- Designing foundations, extensions or new buildings
- Planning drainage, groundworks or landscaping
- Checking a development site before buying
- Planning new service connections or diversions
How we do it
We start with the utility companies' records, then trace services on site with electromagnetic locators and ground penetrating radar, and lift drainage covers to follow pipe runs. Everything is tied to the same survey control as our topographical surveys, so the two drawings line up exactly.
Questions
What is PAS 128?
PAS 128 is the British Standards Institution specification for finding and mapping underground utilities. It sets quality levels, from a search of utility records (level D) and a site walkover (level C) to detection on site (level B) and confirmation by digging trial holes (level A), so you know how far each line on the drawing can be relied on.
Will the survey find every pipe and cable?
No survey method can guarantee that. Plastic pipes, very deep services and congested or wet ground can be hard to detect, which is why each service on the drawing shows how it was located. Before digging, always follow the Health and Safety Executive guidance on avoiding underground services (HSG47).
Can you do it with a topographical survey?
Yes. Doing both in the same visit saves time and cost, and the services are drawn on the same plan as the levels and site features.
Get a fixed-price survey quote
Tell us the postcode and the drawings you need. We reply within 24 to 48 hours.