Call 0333 567 2615

Leak detection for retail parks

Long supply runs beneath car parks, shared service yards and big-box units with slab floors. We find the break without breaking up the tarmac.

Call 0333 567 2615

Retail parks put a lot of pipe underground. Mains supplies run from the boundary, across the car park and along service yards before they reach each unit, and drawings from the original build are often missing or wrong. A leak on that run can lose thousands of litres a day with nothing to see at the surface except a high water bill or a soft patch of tarmac.

We trace and test the supply from the meter to the unit with acoustic listening, leak correlation and tracer gas, then mark the excavation point to the metre. Inside the unit, thermal imaging and tracer gas find leaks under the slab without lifting the floor, so the store keeps trading while the answer is found.

Where leaks hide in a retail park.

The usual suspects for this format, in the order we tend to find them.

Mains under the car park

Long unmapped runs, often in old ductile iron or MDPE. Joints and bends fail first, and the water disappears into the sub-base.

Service yard supplies

Pipes serving compactors, wash-down points and welfare units, crushed or split by delivery traffic.

Under-slab pipework inside units

Hot and cold feeds to toilets and staff rooms buried in the screed of a big-box unit.

Landscaping and irrigation

Irrigation feeds and outside taps along planters and verges that nobody inspects.

Unit roofs and box gutters

Large flat or shallow-pitched roofs with box gutters that overflow into the wall cavity.

Surface water and foul drains

Cracked or displaced drains beneath yards and car parks that leak into the ground and undermine the surface.

How we work on your premises.

The same non-invasive methods as every job, planned for the way this kind of premises actually runs.

  1. Meter to unit, tested in sections

    We isolate and pressure-test the supply in stages so the leak is narrowed to a section before any listening begins.

  2. Car park stays open

    Acoustic and correlation surveys need a few square metres at a time, not a closed car park. We work around parked cars and delivery routes.

  3. One excavation, in the right place

    The dig is marked to the metre with the pipe depth and route, so your groundworks contractor opens one hole.

  4. Several units, one visit

    For park owners and managing agents we can survey the supplies to several units in a single visit and report on each.

What you get from a survey.

Every job ends with the same things: the location, the cause, the evidence and a report you can hand to someone else.

  • The leak position marked on the surface, with depth and pipe route
  • A meter and pressure test record showing the water loss
  • A report your insurer and your groundworks contractor can both use
  • Confirmation of which unit or which shared supply is affected
  • Repair on the same visit where the pipe is accessible

Retail parks: your questions.

What managers in this sector ask before they book.

More questions
We have a high water bill but no drawings of the pipe route. Can you still find it?

Yes. We trace the pipe route first with a locator, then test and listen along it. Missing drawings are normal on older parks.

Will you need to close part of the car park?

Only a few bays around the working area, and usually for a short time. We coordinate with the site team so trading is unaffected.

Can you tell which unit’s supply is leaking on a shared main?

Yes. By testing in sections from the meter we identify which branch is losing water, and whether the leak is on the shared run or a single unit’s supply.

Do you dig up the leak yourselves?

We locate and mark it. Where a repair is straightforward we aim to complete it on the same visit; larger excavations are usually done by your groundworks contractor to our mark.

Related services.

Water mains & underground

Supply pipes under car parks, service yards and slab floors. The usual suspect behind a water bill that has quietly doubled.

Find out more

Drains & CCTV surveys

Blocked, cracked or leaking drains in service yards and beneath units, surveyed with CCTV drain cameras and pressure testing.

Find out more

Under-floor & slab

Pipes buried in screed beneath tiles, vinyl and timber. Located from above, so the shop floor stays whole.

Find out more

Roof & ceiling leaks

Flat roofs, rooflights, box gutters and drips from the unit above. We trace the water back to where it gets in, which is rarely where it shows up.

Find out more

Speak to the team about your leak.

One call gets a leak engineer moving. Our methods are non-invasive, so there is usually nothing to dig up, and you get a written report ready for your insurer.

Call 0333 567 2615

Engineers across England, Scotland and Wales. £5 million public liability insurance.