Tavistock businesswoman Dawn Havron, who runs the a shop on the town's high street, found her troubles had only just begun when she noticed that sewers leading from the shop into the street appeared to be blocked.

She contacted the Town Council who told her that as the pipes were laid pre-1936 she had to call South West Water.

However when South West Water looked into the matter they said it was only a sewer if more than one property used it. Hers only had one user, so it was a drain - and they didn't unblock drains.

"It looked as if I would have to spend thousands on paying someone to dig up the High Street to find the cause of the blockage," said Dawn.

However Dawn contacted local Tavistock company, Drain Tech South West, who said they could do the job without the costly digging.

A spokesman for Drain Tech said: "First of all we used high pressure water jets to flush the pipes enough so that we could send a camera down to investigate. A cap had come loose and blocked the system. This is quite common beneath roads as the vibration of cars above can disturb clay water pipes.

"Once we'd found the problem we used our specialist trenchless technology to send a epoxy-resin liner down the pipe. This is then fixed into place and is good for around 50 years."

Dawn said: "The Drain Tech guys are great, they are definitely unsung heroes. They do a job you do not even think about until you have a blocked sewer or drain. Then their expertise is invaluable. Their methods of investigating blocked drains and sewers needs highlighting as they can save you money by diagnosing problems so preventative action can be taken.

"On top of that they were able to address the matter quickly and efficiently and were very flexible in tailoring the work around the quiet periods in the high street, working late into the evening and completing the job on a Sunday."

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