At Lanes Drainage Services, we have provided Thames Water with the most sophisticated and capable drainage vehicle fleets ever commissioned in the UK.
Our van pack water jetting and CCTV survey vehicles benefit from the latest digital technologies and were designed to increase the number of first-time fixes Lanes can carry out for the UK’s largest water company.
Lanes is the wastewater network services maintenance partner for Thames Water and is responsible for maintaining the sewer network relied upon by 15 million customers in London and the Thames Valley.
Our van packs, along with CityFlex jet vac tankers and CCTV survey vans, represented a £14m investment by Lanes in vehicles serving Thames Water. The fleet increased in size by 20% while the average age of vehicles halved to three years, improving sustainability and reliability.
Lanes Director Andy Brierley said: “Our van packs represented a step change in drainage maintenance technology. We analysed every element of what we expect our van packs to achieve and made every possible improvement.
“It’s not just about sewer surveying and cleaning technology, we also considered the welfare and safety of our teams and our ability to help Thames Water engage with customers about its services.”
Thames Water Regional Manager for Waste, said: “These state-of-the-art vans are the next generation of vehicles that engineers can use and have been designed around ensuring we can fix problems for our customers first time, without having to return at a later date.”
The vehicles are packed with dozens of features to save space and increase the amount and type of tools carried, so engineers have more capabilities and can carry out their work more easily.
Each drainage vehicle is fitted with an external board that allows Thames Water to promote important messages, like its ‘Bin it – don’t Block it’ campaign, and information about major ongoing maintenance projects in local areas.
Other innovations include a CCTV survey camera mounted on a sliding tray, making it easier to take out and pack away. The camera has a 100m-long reel of cable, a 66% increase on previous vans, so longer sewers can be surveyed.
An onboard computer allows survey data to be sent instantly to a central processing hub and for the footage to be viewed remotely to allow technical specialists to advise the CCTV engineer.
A powerful water jetting system can blast blockage with 10 gallons of water per minute at 3000 pounds per square inch, increasing the likelihood of problems being solved. A wider range of jetting nozzles can also be carried.
The equipment includes a drain rod retrieval kit, an interceptor cleaner, a metal detector, and a manhole lifter, to reduce the risk of injury when opening chamber covers.
Lanes Operations Manager said: “We have 100 vans out on the streets, helping to keep the region safe from sewer blockages and other problems.
“They make a huge difference to the level of service we can deliver for Thames Water and its customers and to the enjoyment of our engineers in doing their work.”
Lanes worked with its field engineers and Thames Water counterparts to develop the vans, which are designed along lean engineering principles so jobs can be completed more simply with less wasteful effort.
For example, all tools and consumable products have their own compartments and small tools are stored in a pull-out tray with foam cut-outs for each item.
Safety features for the drivers include air-conditioned cabs, non-slip pads on doorsteps, and lock boxes for valuables and other equipment. For the first time, also, jetting can be carried out with the back doors closed to improve security and safety when working away from the van.