1. CCTV drain survey
A camera goes down the drain from the manhole and shows me exactly where the pipe is cracked, displaced, or left open. You see the footage, so you know what you're paying to fix.
Camera survey · repair · rat blockers
Rats coming from your drains? Close the way in.
Scratching under the floor, droppings under the sink, rats back again weeks after the pest controller left. In homes across Cardiff and Caerphilly the usual way in is a broken or forgotten drain. I find it with a camera, repair it, and fit a rat blocker so they can't come back up.
- No call-out fee
- Price agreed before I start
- Gas Safe & fully insured
Why the drains
Why the rats keep coming back.
Rats live in the sewers under every street in Cardiff and Caerphilly. That on its own is not your problem. It becomes your problem when there is a gap between the sewer and your house, and on older homes there very often is one: a cracked clay joint, a pipe pushed apart by tree roots, or an old branch left open when a kitchen or bathroom was moved and nobody capped the end.
The British Pest Control Association estimates that around 80% of rat problems inside homes start in the drains. That is why poison on its own so often fails. It deals with the rats already in, but the gap is still there and the next ones walk straight up the same pipe. Fixing the pipe is the part that stops it, and that is plumbing and drainage work, which is what I do.
Signs it is the drains: scratching under the floor or behind the kitchen units, droppings under the sink or behind the toilet, a damp or sewage smell where there is no leak, and rats that come back after treatment.
How I deal with it
Find it, fix it, block it.
Three steps, and I'll tell you the price before each one.
2. Repair or seal
Broken joints and damaged sections repaired, old disused branches capped off for good. This is the step that actually stops the rats getting in.
3. Rat blocker
A one-way flap fitted in the pipe at your manhole. Waste flows out as normal, rats coming up from the sewer can't push through. It is fitted on your own drain, not the shared run.
Rats already inside?
I'm a plumber, not a pest controller. Rats already in the house need a qualified pest controller, and I'm happy to work alongside yours so the treatment and the repair happen together.
Drains · 13-second explainer
Rats in the house? Check the drains first.
How rats get in from the sewer, and the two fixes that shut the door on them.
- Camera survey finds the way in
- Repair the pipe or seal the old one
- Rat blocker fitted on your drain
- Rats already inside? A pest controller
An animated illustration, not a recording of a job.
Wales is different
Don't reach for a glue trap.
Plenty of advice online is written for England. In Wales, using a glue trap on a rat or mouse has been a criminal offence since 17 October 2023, under the Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023. There is no licence route here like the one England has. If you've got rats indoors, use a qualified pest controller, and get the drain looked at so they don't come back.
If the rats are in the sewer in the street rather than your own drain, report it to your local council. Councils hold the main legal duty for rats, and they can ask Welsh Water to bait the public sewers.
Google reviews
Don't take my word for it.
Every review here is published on Google, where you can read it in full and check it's genuine.
My customer reviews are published on Google, where you can read them in full and check they're genuine.
24/7 in Cardiff
Plumbing emergency in Cardiff?
The phone is on day and night. I'll talk you through getting the water off before I've even set off, and I aim to be with you inside 90 minutes.
- Call-out feeNone
- First half hour, working hours£80
- Out of hours & weekends£150
- What I aim for, door to door90 min
Questions
Frequently asked questions.
How do I know the rats are coming from the drains?
Scratching under the floor or behind kitchen units, droppings under the sink or behind the toilet, a sewage smell with no leak, and rats that come back after treatment. The British Pest Control Association estimates around 80% of rat problems inside homes start in the drains. A CCTV drain survey confirms it either way.
Can rats really come up through the toilet?
It can happen, but far more often they get in through a cracked joint or an old pipe left open under the floor, then into the floor void and the walls. That is why the camera survey matters: it finds the real gap rather than guessing.
Will a rat blocker on its own fix it?
Not on its own. A rat blocker is a one-way flap in the pipe at your manhole, and it is a good extra guard, but if there is a broken section between the blocker and your house, or a second way in, the rats still get through. Survey, repair, then blocker is the order that works. It goes on your own drain, not on a shared run.
Do you get rid of the rats?
No. I'm a plumber, not a pest controller. Rats already in the house need a qualified pest controller, and I'll work alongside yours so the treatment and the drain repair happen together. In Wales, using a glue trap on a rat or mouse has been an offence since 17 October 2023, so don't use them.
Who deals with rats in the sewer in my street?
Report rats in the street or the public sewer to your local council. Councils hold the main legal duty for rats and can ask Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water to bait the sewers. If the broken pipe turns out to be a shared drain or past your boundary, it is usually Welsh Water's to repair, and I'll tell you before you pay for anything.
Free quote
Rats coming up from the drains?
Ring or WhatsApp and tell me what you're hearing or finding. You'll get a straight answer and a price for the survey before I start.