East Sussex

Septic tank and cesspool services in Northiam

Northiam sits above the Rother valley on the Kent and Sussex border, surrounded by orchards, farmland and a lot of period property. Outside the village centre, private drainage is the normal arrangement.

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KP tanker parked on a narrow country lane with the suction hose run out to a tank

It is on our way through to Rye and Winchelsea, which we cover already, so Northiam is easy ground for us rather than a special trip.

Working in Northiam

The valley floor holds water through the winter, while property up on the ridge drains far better.
Older timber framed and period houses here often have systems that have been added to over decades rather than designed once.
We are through regularly on the way to Rye, so fitting in an empty is straightforward.

Above the Rother valley

Northiam stands on the ridge above the Rother valley, where the river forms the border between Kent and East Sussex. The village is known for Great Dixter, the house and garden of the gardener Christopher Lloyd, and its station on the Kent and East Sussex heritage railway sits down on the valley floor.

The ridge and the valley behave very differently. Up in the village and along the ridge, the ground can often take a drainage field. Down on the Rother levels the water table rises close to the surface through the winter and the valley floor can flood, so a field there may be out of action for weeks. Properties on the lower ground often run a sealed cesspool or a treatment plant discharging to a watercourse that flows all year. Installing a septic tank in Rye explains the same levels a few miles downstream.

Northiam also has a lot of period property, and older houses here often have systems that were extended and added to over decades rather than designed once. If you have bought one and the drainage has never been explained, start with an empty and a proper look at the system. What a tank service actually includes in Kent explains what we check, and it applies just as well on this side of the border.