Ditch Clearance &
Watercourse Maintenance
Silted, overgrown and collapsed ditches cleared and re-profiled with tracked plant — so water moves again before it turns into a flooding problem.
Get the water moving before it costs you
A ditch stops working gradually and then all at once. Silt builds up, vegetation closes the channel in, banks slump, and the first anyone notices is standing water on the field, the car park or the carriageway after heavy rain. GGT clears and re-profiles ditches, dykes and ordinary watercourses across the North West so drainage works again — for farms and estates, councils, highways schemes, industrial sites and developers.
The work itself is straightforward when it is done properly: strip the vegetation off the banks and channel, de-silt back to the original invert, re-profile the banks where they have collapsed, and deal with the arisings. What separates a good ditch job from an expensive mess is what happens around it — where the spoil goes, whether the watercourse needs consent before you touch it, and whether there are water voles in the bank.
We check all three before we quote. Ditches are classic water vole habitat and water voles are fully protected, so a survey and a sensible works window may be needed. Works to an ordinary watercourse can require consent from the lead local flood authority or internal drainage board. We will tell you plainly what applies to your site rather than finding out halfway through.
- Ditch de-silting & channel clearing
- Bank vegetation & scrub removal
- Bank re-profiling & reinstatement
- Culvert, headwall & outfall clearing
- Land drainage & field ditch maintenance
- Highway & verge drainage ditches
- Spoil placement, spreading or removal
- Ongoing ditch maintenance programmes
Surveyed, consented, then cleared
Free site survey
We walk the line of the ditch, find where it has actually failed, check bank stability and access, and work out where a machine can reach from without wrecking the field.
Ecology & consent checked
We flag water vole habitat, protected species and any consent requirement for works to an ordinary watercourse before we price it — not after you have committed.
Cleared & re-profiled
Vegetation stripped, channel de-silted back to invert, banks re-profiled where they have slumped, culverts and outfalls cleared so the whole run works, not just the visible bit.
Arisings sorted
Silt and spoil is spread, stockpiled or carted away as agreed. Getting this decided up front is what keeps the price honest.
Covering Lancashire & the wider North West
We deliver ditch clearance right across the North West. Choose your area, or see everywhere we cover.
Ditch Clearance — frequently asked questions
Do I need consent to clear a ditch?
Routine maintenance of a ditch on your own land is often permitted, but works that alter the flow of an ordinary watercourse — culverting, damming, changing the profile, installing structures — generally require land drainage consent from the lead local flood authority or, in some areas, the internal drainage board. Main rivers are the Environment Agency’s remit and different rules apply. We flag what looks like it applies to your site at survey stage, but the consent sits with you as the landowner and we would always suggest confirming with the authority directly.
What about water voles?
Water voles are fully protected and ditches are exactly where they live. Damaging or obstructing their burrows is an offence, so on any watercourse with suitable habitat a survey may be needed and the works window may be constrained. We raise this before quoting rather than during the job. Where a scheme needs mitigation fencing or exclusion work alongside it, we handle that too — see ecological fencing.
Where does the silt and spoil go?
Usually the cheapest and simplest option is spreading it along the bank top or in the adjacent field, where that is agreed and appropriate. Otherwise it is stockpiled on site or carted away and disposed of. Silt from some watercourses needs testing before it can be moved. We agree the destination before we start, because it is one of the biggest variables in the price.
Can you reach ditches on soft or waterlogged ground?
That is what our tracked plant is for. Wheeled machines struggle on wet field margins and soft banks, and cause more damage getting there than they do working. We use tracked excavators and, where the reach demands it, long-reach machines so we can work from stable ground rather than driving down the bank.
Do you offer ongoing ditch maintenance?
Yes, and for most sites it is far cheaper than letting the ditch fail and clearing it from scratch every decade. A light maintenance visit on a sensible cycle keeps the channel open, the banks stable and the ecology constraints manageable. We can put the ditch network on the same programme as your grounds maintenance or vegetation management contract.
Which areas do you cover?
Across the North West of England — Lancashire, the Fylde, Preston, Lancaster, Blackburn, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, including the drainage networks on the Fylde and west Lancashire mosslands. Call 01772 343285 with the location and we will come and look.
One contractor for the whole site
Most clients use us for more than one service. Because it's the same crew and one point of contact, the work joins up.
Vegetation Management
Verge, boundary and embankment vegetation cut back on a planned programme — including the bank vegetation that closes ditches in.
Explore Vegetation Management
Land Clearance
Site and land clearance with tracked plant — vegetation, stumps and spoil removed and the ground levelled.
Explore Land Clearance
Ecological Fencing
Newt, reptile, water vole and mammal exclusion fencing installed to your ecologist’s specification, with full records.
Explore Ecological FencingDitches backing up or flooding the site?
Request a free site survey and we'll come out and quote — no obligation.
Accredited & audited
