1,000 Kilometres of Drainage Pipe Surveyed a Year - National Survey Centre Hits Amazing Milestone

Lanes Group has applied advances in cloud-based digital technologies to create a national drainage surveying centre that has processed data for its five millionth metre of sewer pipe.

The milestone was passed during the compilation of a CCTV report for a survey carried out at a secondary school in Greater Manchester.

The 5,000km of survey data – equivalent to a pipe stretching from Manchester across the Atlantic Ocean to Boston in the United States – have been processed since the centre opened in January 2020.

It reflects the extraordinary success of Lanes Group’s national survey centre, which has grown continuously since it opened, a process that shows no sign of stopping.

The facility began with just two survey processing technicians. It now has a team of 14, with more being recruited, and is thought to be the largest technical centre of its kind in Europe.

If the volume of surveys processed continues to accelerate, the centre at Lanes Group’s operational HQ in Eccles, Greater Manchester, is predicted to process the next five million metres of pipe within three years, not five.

CCTV surveying is the start and end point for all drainage projects, which is why Lanes Group has invested significantly in the national service, along with a fleet of the UK’s most advanced CCTV survey vans.

Chris Wilde, Lanes Group’s Head of CCTV, who has led the centre’s development from its conception, said: “We are now a centre of excellence in our field, which is a great motivation for our team to achieve even more.

“The approach, combining latest technologies with a highly-skilled national team, defines the quality of service the company offers. The value added by the operation is being recognised by customers.”

The five million metre milestone was reached as CCTV Technical Specialist Brooke York processed 772.02m of survey data gathered by CCTV survey operative Bekithemba Mlilo.

(Brook Yorke, CCTV Technical Specialist)

Brook Yorke said: “I was pleased to think I’d helped reach the milestone. Every one of us contributed to reaching the target, so we can all take a share of the credit. Now we’re pushing on to the next milestone. There are going to be many more!”

The national centre now processes all surveys carried out by Lanes Group’s 20 commercial depots, and on behalf of many the UK’s largest water companies, including Thames Water, Severn Trent, Southern Water, and Yorkshire Water, as well as Transport for London: Lanes Group is TfL’s drainage partner for the London Underground.

The onboarding of so many new customers is growing the centre’s output month-by-month. For example, data for 111,192 metres of pipe was processed in August 2025, 27% more than in August 2024.

Survey data is sent to the centre directly from work sites, via the cloud, allowing its technical specialists to quickly get to work creating final reports.

Every team member holds OS19X and OS21X CCTV industry certifications, while some are also qualified to the higher OS23X standard. Lanes Group also plans to participate in the pilot for a new, more advanced OS26X standard.

(Matthew Stark, Group CCTV Manager and Chris Wilde, Head of Group CCTV)

Chris Wilde and his team also manage all technical training for the company’s CCTV operators nationwide, plus the selection, purchase, and maintenance of all surveying equipment and software.

The integration of these roles is further developing the efficiency and effectiveness of Lanes Group’s surveying service, said Chris Wilde.

He added: “We can quickly put together teams of field operatives and national centre technicians with precisely the right mixes of skills and sector awareness.

“Our customers love the speed and agility with which we can respond to service needs, including mobilisation of large wastewater contracts, while driving up the service reliability and sustainability of our CCTV van fleet.”