Blocked Drains Reading – Rapid Response Drainage Services
Professional Drainage Services for Reading and the Surrounding Area
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Introduction
Professional Drainage Services for Reading and the Surrounding Area
Local Services Drainage provides trusted drainage solutions in Reading, offering everything from emergency unblocking to advanced CCTV inspections and no-dig repairs. We tackle everything from slow-draining baths to overflowing manholes, using the latest jetting technology and in-depth drain inspections. Our engineers are available 24/7 for emergency callouts. From residential driveways to commercial kitchens, we've got Reading covered. Speak to our local team today for expert support and rapid, affordable solutions.
Why Choose Our Reading Team?
• Reliable service from trained local engineers
• CCTV drain surveys at no extra cost with clearance
• Transparent pricing structure
• Structural drain lining with a 10-year guarantee
• 24/7 emergency availability
Reading (pronounced Redding, not “Reeding”) is a major historic town in Berkshire, strategically positioned where the River Thames meets the River Kennet. While often overshadowed by nearby London and Oxford, Reading has been one of England’s most important inland trade, religious, and industrial centres for over 1,000 years.
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Geography: why Reading exists here
Reading’s location is not accidental.
Strategic river junction
•The River Thames provided east–west transport, trade, and defence
•The River Kennet linked Reading to the west and the chalk downs
•The Kennet Valley created fertile land for farming, milling, and later industry
This made Reading a natural market town, river port, and logistics hub centuries before roads or railways.
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Prehistoric & Roman context
Prehistory
•Human activity in the Thames Valley dates back hundreds of thousands of years
•Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements existed nearby on higher ground
Roman period
•Unlike nearby Silchester (Calleva Atrebatum), Reading was not a major Roman town
•It functioned as a riverside agricultural and supply area
•Roman roads passed close by, reinforcing the area’s logistical value
Reading’s true rise came after Rome, not during it.
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Anglo-Saxon Reading (6th–11th centuries)
Saxon origins
•Reading began as a Saxon riverside settlement
•Name likely derives from Rēadingas — “people of Reada”
•Grew as a farming and trading community
By the late Saxon period:
•Reading had mills
•River trade
•A growing population
•Strong ties to Wessex kings
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Norman Conquest & the birth of power (11th–12th centuries)
Everything changed after 1066.
Reading Abbey (1121)
Founded by Henry I, Reading Abbey became one of:
•The largest royal monasteries in Europe
•The wealthiest religious institutions in England
Reading Abbey
Why the Abbey mattered
•Controlled huge landholdings across England
•Hosted royal councils and diplomacy
•Became a burial place for Henry I himself
•Drew pilgrims, scholars, merchants
Reading effectively became a religious capital, not just a town.
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Medieval Reading (12th–15th centuries)
Market town & river port
•Reading developed around:
•Abbey precinct
•Market place
•River wharves
•Trade goods included:
•Wool
•Grain
•Ale
•Cloth
Guilds & crafts
•Brewers, weavers, millers
•Strong regulation of trade
•Early civic identity
Conflict & decline
•Suffered during:
•The Black Death
•Economic downturns
•Decline of monastic power
Yet Reading remained a key inland commercial centre.
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Tudor Reading & the Dissolution (16th century)
Destruction of the Abbey
Under Henry VIII:
•Reading Abbey was dissolved in 1539
•Buildings stripped for stone
•Economic shock to the town
The last abbot was executed for treason — a dramatic and symbolic end.
Rebirth as a royal town
•Abbey lands redistributed
•Grammar schools founded
•Reading adapted from religious to secular governance
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Civil War Reading (17th century)
Reading played a strategic military role during the English Civil War.
English Civil War
•Occupied by Royalist forces
•Fortified due to river crossings
•Heavily damaged during fighting
•Parliamentarian victory weakened the town temporarily
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Georgian & early industrial Reading (18th century)
Transport revolution
•Kennet Navigation improved
•Later connected to the Kennet & Avon Canal
•Faster movement of goods between London and Bristol
Kennet and Avon Canal
Brewing capital
Reading became famous for beer:
•Clean chalk-filtered water
•Large-scale brewing operations
•Beer exported widely
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Victorian Reading: industrial powerhouse (19th century)
This is Reading’s second golden age.
The “Three Bs”
Reading became synonymous with:
1.Beer
2.Bulbs
3.Biscuits
Beer
•Major breweries dominated the skyline
Bulbs
•Seed and bulb production for global export
Biscuits
•Huntley & Palmers
•World’s largest biscuit manufacturer at its peak
•Exported globally
•Provided thousands of jobs
Railways
•Great Western Railway transformed Reading into:
•A major junction
•A commuter and freight hub
•Rapid population growth
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20th century: war, rebuilding & change
World Wars
•Industrial output supported war efforts
•Air raids caused limited but notable damage
Post-war transformation
•Decline of heavy industry
•Rise of offices, retail, and services
•Expansion of suburbs (Tilehurst, Earley, Woodley)
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Modern Reading (late 20th–21st centuries)
Economic identity
Reading is now one of the UK’s strongest regional economies.
Key sectors:
•Technology
•Finance
•Data & telecoms
•Professional services
Often called part of the “UK Silicon Valley” (Thames Valley tech corridor).
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Education & research
University of Reading
University of Reading
•Founded 1892
•World-leading research in:
•Climate science
•Agriculture
•Meteorology
•Food science
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Culture, landmarks & green space
Historic sites
•Reading Abbey Ruins
•Forbury Gardens
•Medieval street patterns near the old market
Forbury Gardens
Festivals
•Reading Festival
•One of Europe’s biggest music festivals
•Global cultural recognition
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Transport & connectivity
•One of the UK’s busiest rail stations
•Direct access to London Paddington
•Elizabeth Line (Crossrail)
•M4 corridor
Reading railway station
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Governance & status
•Reading is a unitary authority
•Repeated (unsuccessful) bids for city status
•Functions as a de facto city economically and culturally
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Why Reading is historically important
Reading is rare in that it:
•Rose after the Roman era
•Became powerful through religion
•Reinvented itself through industry
•Transitioned into a modern tech economy
•Retained strategic relevance for over 1,000 years
Areas We Cover Around Coventry
Our Reading Drainage Services
✔ Drain Unblocking
We remove any obstruction in your foul or storm system with jetting and mechanical tools.
✔ CCTV Surveys
Cameras reveal the internal condition of your drains and help us diagnose problems quickly.
✔ Drain Repairs & Lining
We seal cracks and realign displaced joints without the need for excavation.
✔ Flooding & Backflow Emergencies
Rapid response to internal and external water issues, day or night.
✔ Manhole & Pipe Replacement
We dig only when necessary and always complete reinstatement to a high standard.
Book Now with Reading Drainage Professionals
Don’t let drainage problems ruin your day. Contact local services drainage for expert advice and fast solutions to any blocked drains in Reading.
Serving Reading and Surrounding Areas
We’ve worked extensively in Reading, from old Victorian sewers to new-build systems. Whatever the age or type of pipework, we’ve got the tools to fix it.