RCS case study
Tobacco Dock Sewer Network & Pumping System Overhaul
A £170,000+ investigation and recovery programme restoring a failing underground sewer network, sump pumps, controls and alarms over ten months.
The project
Across 2024 and 2025, under an ongoing maintenance arrangement at Tobacco Dock, RCS Maintenance Group investigated repeated performance issues affecting the site’s underground sewer network and associated pumping systems.
The investigation developed into a ten-month, £170,000+ programme combining detailed surveys, condition reporting, mechanical drainage work, pump replacement and electrical control-system repairs.
Finding the underlying failures
The network could not be restored reliably through isolated repairs alone. RCS carried out extensive CCTV inspections and system testing throughout the site to understand the condition of the underground infrastructure and identify the weaknesses contributing to repeated failures.
The findings were brought together in a detailed report, giving the client a clear record of the defects and a practical basis for prioritising the remedial programme.
The scope of work
- Extensive CCTV surveying throughout the underground sewer network
- System testing and investigation of recurring failures
- Condition reporting identifying weaknesses and remedial priorities
- Complete replacement of the site’s sump pumps
- Repairs to associated electrical wiring and control panels
- Repairs to alarm systems linked to the pumping network
- A series of specialist chain-knocking operations to clean heavily neglected pipework
- Testing and recommissioning of the repaired system
Mechanical and electrical recovery
RCS replaced the sump pumps serving the network and repaired the associated wiring, control panels and alarm systems. Treating the pumping equipment and its controls as one connected system allowed faults to be addressed across the full operating chain rather than as separate symptoms.
The work was planned in stages so that discoveries made during surveying and testing could be translated into targeted repairs and replacements.
Restoring more than 40 years of neglected pipework
Sections of the existing pipework network had suffered from more than 40 years of neglect. RCS carried out a series of chain-knocking operations to remove accumulated deposits and restore the internal bore of the affected pipework.
This specialist cleaning formed an important part of the wider recovery programme, addressing restrictions within the network alongside the pump, electrical and control-system failures.
The outcome
Over ten months, RCS progressed the work from long-term investigation and evidence gathering through to a coordinated programme of mechanical, electrical and drainage repairs worth more than £170,000.
The sewer and pumping network was returned to operation with new sump pumps, repaired controls and alarms, and extensively cleaned pipework. The project demonstrates RCS’s ability to diagnose complex infrastructure failures, report clearly and deliver the multi-discipline remedial work needed to bring a neglected system back into service.
Support for recurring faults and planned repairs
If you manage premises with recurring problems or a backlog of repairs, our commercial property maintenance service in Nottingham explains how RCS can help assess priorities and arrange the work. We also support appropriate projects further afield, as this London programme demonstrates.
For the information available before work starts and at handover, see our guidance for facilities managers and procurement teams. Send the site location, known faults, existing reports and access requirements when discussing your project.