Jet Washing & Pressure Washing Leicester

The Brief · Leicester

Jet Washing & Pressure Washing for Leicester

Severn Trent, which worked with the city council on its Storm Henk flood review, says there is no hosepipe ban in place for its customers. It adds that it has not had one in its area since 1995. So pressure washing a drive, patio or car park in Leicester is not restricted by a water ban. The company still asks everyone to use water wisely in dry weather. What matters more in this city is drainage. In January 2024, heavy rain during Storm Henk led to 160 reports of homes flooding internally in Leicester. Highway drains were quickly overwhelmed. That is a good reason to think about where washwater and rainwater go, especially if a front garden is being paved. Here are the rules, with sources.

Storm Henk hit on 2 January 2024. The city council's report found most of the flooded homes were hit directly by the River Soar overtopping its banks, mainly in the Abbey and Belgrave wards. It also said the extreme rainfall helped overwhelm highway drainage on several roads. The council, the Environment Agency, Severn Trent and the Canal and River Trust agreed follow-up actions, including surveys of the sewers and drainage in the areas affected.

For a business site, government pollution guidance is direct. If you pollute, you could face an unlimited fine, up to 5 years in prison, or both, and the cost of the clean-up. Surface water drains discharge directly to the environment. Contaminated water from yard cleaning must go to a foul drain with the water company's consent, or be collected and taken away. The guidance also warns that oil separators do not work when there is detergent in the water. That matters when cleaning a car park or forecourt that drains through one.

At home, paving a front garden has its own rule. You need no planning permission for a permeable surface, or one that drains to a lawn or border. Laying more than five square metres of impermeable paving with nowhere permeable to drain does need permission.