Groundworks & Civils
Land Drainage & Field Drainage in Cumbria
Field drains, French drains, ditching and outfalls to take water out of ground that stays wet.
Land drainage manages water moving through the soil rather than across a roof or hard surface. On farmland it protects grazing, cropping and machinery access; around buildings it keeps water away from foundations, gardens and yards.
SHS installs land drainage systems throughout Cumbria — perforated drain runs in permeable backfill, French drains and cut-off drains, ditch work and outfalls — sized and positioned according to where the water is actually coming from.
Applications
Where this work applies
- Waterlogged fields and paddocks
- Farm tracks and gateways that break up in winter
- Gardens that stay wet through the year
- Building plots needing to be dried out before construction
- Springs and seepage on sloping ground
Project types
Typical projects
- Field drainage scheme with graded laterals to a ditch
- Cut-off drain above a house on a sloping site
- Ditch reprofiling and new outfall on a farm
- French drain around a wet rural property
From site
Land Drainage — genuine SHS photographs
Genuine photographs of SHS work. They are individual site photographs from different jobs and do not represent a single project.
Method
How SHS approaches it
01
Land drainage only works if there is somewhere for the water to go. The outfall is identified first, then the system is designed back from it, with falls set by laser and pipe sizes chosen for the catchment.
02
Backfill material matters as much as the pipe. Clean permeable stone, correctly wrapped where fines could migrate, is what allows water to reach the drain rather than run past it.
Plant
Equipment used
- 1.5 tonne excavator (company-owned)
- 3 tonne track dumper
- Hydraulic breaker pack
- Rotating laser level
- Plant and tipper trailers for self-delivery
- Tractor and trailer for field access and stone haulage
Support
Professional input
- Engineering or agronomy input where a scheme affects watercourses or requires consent
Specialist input is provided by independent professionals SHS works with, not by in-house departments.
Cumbria
Local considerations
- Cumbria's rainfall and heavy soils make land drainage a routine part of rural property management. Many existing systems are Victorian clayware that still function partially, and locating and reconnecting them can be more economic than starting again.
- Work affecting ordinary watercourses, main rivers or land drainage byelaw areas may require consent. That is checked before ditch works or new outfalls are constructed.
Frequently asked questions
Typically between 600mm and 1.2m depending on soil, purpose and machinery loading above, with spacing set by soil permeability and the area being drained.
Related services
Groundworks & Civils
Drainage
Foul and surface water drainage installed to falls, tested and detailed for inspection.
Rural
Rural Groundworks
Groundworks geared to rural reality: awkward access, soft ground, long service runs and off-mains drainage.
Rural
Farm Diversification
Groundworks and building work for barn conversions, holiday lets, storage units and rural enterprise projects.
Rural
Agricultural Buildings
Bases, foundations, plinth walls, aprons and drainage for agricultural buildings on working farms.
Next step
Need land drainage in Cumbria?
Tell SHS what you are building, repairing or preparing. Upload photographs, drawings or plans and the project can be reviewed before a site visit is arranged.