If you’ve been told your water supply pipe is leaking and you think the pipe runs beneath your driveway, it’s tempting to hire a breaker, lift the block paving or start digging to find the problem yourself.
Before you do, it’s worth asking one important question:
Are you digging in the right place?
At The Leak Hunter, we regularly investigate supply pipe leaks beneath driveways where homeowners have already identified what they believe is the problem area, only to discover the leak is somewhere completely different.
Accurately locating the leak before excavation often reduces unnecessary digging, lowers reinstatement costs and makes any repair far more straightforward—whether you intend to carry out the repair yourself or ask a specialist to do it.
How Do You Know the Leak Is Actually Under the Driveway?
Quite often, you don’t.
Water doesn’t always appear directly above the leak. It can travel through the surrounding ground before reaching the surface, meaning the visible wet patch may be several metres away from where the pipe has actually failed.
Even if your water company has confirmed your supply pipe is leaking, they usually won’t know the exact location of the leak.
Breaking out part of the driveway based on an educated guess can quickly become an expensive mistake if the leak turns out to be elsewhere.
Professional mains water leak detection is designed to accurately locate the leak before excavation begins.
Do You Know Where Your Supply Pipe Actually Runs?
Many homeowners assume the supply pipe follows the shortest route between the water meter and the property.
In reality, extensions, new driveways, landscaping and previous repairs often mean the pipe takes an unexpected route beneath the property.
If you don’t know exactly where the pipe runs, there’s a good chance you’ll also be guessing where to dig.
Specialist water supply pipe tracing can often identify the route of buried pipework before excavation begins, helping reduce unnecessary disruption.
Can You Dig Up Your Own Driveway?
If the driveway is on your own property, you can usually excavate it yourself. However, before doing so, it’s worth considering what else may be buried beneath the surface.
Driveways commonly contain:
- electricity cables
- gas pipes
- telecommunications and fibre optic cables
- drainage pipes
- other buried water services
Repairing a water pipe is one thing. Accidentally damaging a gas pipe, electricity cable or another buried service is something entirely different and can quickly turn a relatively simple repair into a much larger problem.
What If the Pipe Runs Beneath the Pavement?
If part of the supply pipe runs beneath a public footpath or highway, the situation is different.
Excavating within the public highway is generally subject to permissions and legal requirements that don’t apply to work carried out entirely on private property. If you’re unsure where the pipe crosses from public to private land, it’s worth establishing this before making plans to excavate.
If you’re also unsure who is responsible for the leaking section of pipe, our guide explaining who is responsible for a mains water leak explains where responsibility usually changes.
Could Digging in the Wrong Place Cost More Than the Leak?
Quite possibly.
Breaking out concrete, lifting block paving or excavating tarmac is only part of the cost. Everything then needs reinstating once the repair has been completed.
If the first excavation misses the leak, you may find yourself paying to reinstate one area before digging a second—or even third—hole elsewhere.
For many homeowners, accurately locating the leak before excavation is one of the simplest ways to reduce both disruption and overall repair costs.
When Is It Worth Calling a Specialist?
A professional investigation is often worth considering if:
- you don’t know exactly where the leak is
- you’re unsure where the supply pipe runs
- the driveway is expensive to reinstate
- there may be other buried services nearby
- you want to minimise unnecessary excavation
- you’re still deciding whether to repair or replace the pipe
Most homeowners don’t mind digging if they know they’re digging in the right place. The difficulty is that many don’t.
Having the leak professionally located first often means less excavation, lower reinstatement costs and greater confidence that the repair will solve the problem the first time.
How The Leak Hunter Can Help
As a WaterSafe Register registered business, The Leak Hunter specialises in investigating concealed mains water leaks before repair work begins.
Using specialist leak detection and pipe tracing equipment, we aim to accurately locate the leak while keeping disruption to a minimum wherever possible. Once the leak has been identified, you can make an informed decision about the most appropriate repair without relying on guesswork.
Find out more about our Mains Water Leak Detection service if you’d like professional help locating a concealed supply pipe leak before anyone starts digging.