Lanes engineers go back to school

Lanes for Drains engineers in East Anglia got top marks for the speed and efficiency of their service as they completed full drainage surveys and cleaning programmes on two secondary schools over the summer. Teams from the St Neots depot in Cambridgeshire were called in by a main contractor to support major refurbishment programmes at schools, including one academy, in the Luton area of Bedfordshire. The work had to be carried out over a three-week period over the summer holidays, while the thousands of pupils and their teachers were off site, so lessons were not disrupted. Mark Reed, Lanes for Drains sales manager for East Anglia, said: “It’s important for schools to think carefully about the maintenance and repair of their drainage systems. “With weather patterns becoming more unpredictable and extreme, it’s possible for large sites, like schools, to be at risk from flooding at any time of year. “So, making sure both drainage systems are operating efficiently and have the right capacity for all eventualities is essential. “For schools, in particular, this is important, because a flash flood could close the school temporarily, which causes huge disruption to the education of pupils and to working parents, and can badly affect the school’s reputation. “Also, schools cover very large sites and often have complex drainage systems, developed over decades and to different standards. So they need careful management.” Lanes St Neots deployed a CCTV video drainage survey team at each school, making use of the sophisticated HD quality robotic cameras the company uses to obtain full colour video footage of any drainage system. Jetting teams were then deployed to use their highly powerful jet vac tankers to clean out both the storm water and foul water systems. Manholes were tagged, blue for surface water and red for foul water, to help the schools’ facilities staff manage the systems on their sites. Lanes for Drains also provides a planned maintenance service for schools and all other public and commercial organisations – which ensures drainage systems are kept in good condition, and emergencies are avoided. Lanes also offers the Aquasentry pollution monitoring system, which can be fitted to drain interceptors on any site. This electronic detection system notifies both the customer and Lanes, centrally, if there is an imminent water pollution problem, allowing an instant response. Mark Reed said: “Lanes for Drains is highly experienced in working in sensitive areas, such as schools, hospitals and other public buildings. Our engineers are all checked through the Criminal Records Bureau. If need be, we can work at night. “Many schools are now taking over responsibility for managing their sites and becoming increasingly aware that drainage problems represent a critical risk. Over time, effective maintenance and repair programmes can dramatically reduce adverse impacts and costs.”