Written by Mr and Mrs Lampard, Middleton 22/6/10

Shortly after moving to our dream rural property we had a horrible shock to discover that the 45yr old cesspool was malfunctioning. Due to a combination of age and a high water table in the locality, the large brick built underground room was filling up with spring water in a matter of days, leaving little space for ‘household waste’. This necessitated monthly emptying, costing up to £240 a time, and great deal of anxiety, particularly when we had family and friends to stay!

We contacted Cotterill Civils, following a personal recommendation, and had a formal survey undertaken which confirmed our suspicions about the cesspool and the water table. Various solutions were proposed by Andrew Cotterill, but in the end we decided that a modern packaged sewage treatment plant was the most environmentally sound and practical solution as this would convert our waste into clean water that could be discharged via soak-away under our lawns. Additionally the defunct cesspool could be cleaned up and used as a ‘grey water’ store, hidden away underground but a great source of ground water for watering the garden and washing cars, this was achieved by installing a submerged pump and pipe work allowing the water to be sent to stand pipes around the garden. Additionally as the garden was being dug up we had pipe work for a new oil tank laid simultaneously, a neat solution to several problems.

As we both work, the logistics of having major engineering works undertaken were rather intimidating but, once we met the site team we were confident to leave them with the keys (and a tray for tea & biscuits) to get on with it. Each night we returned home to view the progress and were very impressed with the speed and neatness with which the work was completed. At no time were we left without water or drains and although the lawns took a beating from the heavy plant machinery, the team managed not to damage any of the established plants or tress, and also managed not to bury any of our inquisitive cats in the ditches.

The team took photos of their progress so that at the end we received a file containing the guarantees, plans and photos of the whole project. Now that it is all behind us and ‘normal service’ resumed we can honestly recommend Cotterill Civils as being a trustworthy, hard working local firm with the technical expertise and experience to undertake a project to very high standards. We would not wish anyone the hassle of having to have major engineering works doing, but if it is inevitable then you could do a whole lot worse.

If you wish to verify the authenticity of this story we have authorised Cotterill Civils to release our email to genuine potential clients.

Helen and Paul

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