Does a liner make the drain narrower?

A liner takes up a few millimetres of bore, but its surface is smoother than the old pipe it sits inside, so flow is not normally affected in a domestic drain.

Drainage guide

How much does drain relining cost in the UK?

Q: How much does drain relining cost?

A localised patch repair typically costs £300–£600 and relining a full run £1,500–£4,000. Excavation and replacement starts around £1,000 per section (industry cost guides, 2026).

Q: Is relining cheaper than digging the drain up?

Usually, because there is nothing to reinstate. Excavation starts around £1,000 per section before you put the drive, patio or lawn back, and that reinstatement is often quoted separately.

Reviewed by the Drainage Quotes team Last updated 12 August 2026

No-dig drain relining set up on a block-paved driveway with the paving left intact

Drain relining typically costs £300–£600 for a localised patch repair and £1,500–£4,000 to reline a full run. Digging the drain up instead starts around £1,000 per section, before you pay to put the drive, patio or lawn back (industry cost guides, 2026). Diagnosing the fault with a CCTV survey first costs £150–£350 (Checkatrade, 2025).

Typical cost: £300–£600 for a patch, £1,500–£4,000 for a full-length reline — no excavation, and usually finished in a day.

Drain relining and repair costs (UK, residential)

Work	Typical cost
Patch repair / localised liner	£300–£600
Full-length reline of a run	£1,500–£4,000
Excavation and replacement	From £1,000 per section
CCTV survey to find and price the fault	£150–£350

Sources: industry cost guides, 2026 · survey cost: Checkatrade, 2025. Ranges are indicative — your quote depends on the pipe, the length and the access.

What is drain relining?

Relining — also called CIPP, or cured-in-place pipe — repairs a damaged drain from the inside. A resin-soaked liner is fed into the pipe through an existing manhole or access point, inflated tight against the pipe wall, and cured hard. The result is a new pipe formed inside the old one.

Because everything happens through an access point that already exists, nothing gets dug up. That is where most of the saving comes from: there is no trench, and nothing to reinstate afterwards.

Patch repair or full-length reline?

A patch treats a single defect — one cracked joint, one point of root ingress — and typically costs £300–£600. A full-length reline treats the whole run and costs £1,500–£4,000 (industry cost guides, 2026).

The CCTV report decides which you need. If a pipe has several defects along its length, patching each one usually costs more than lining the run once — worth asking each specialist to price both so you can see the crossover.

What makes relining cost more?

Price moves with the diameter of the pipe, how many metres are being lined, how good the access is, and how much preparation the pipe needs first.

Length and diameter — more liner and more resin, and larger bores need bigger kit.
Access — a usable manhole at each end keeps it simple; a difficult or single-ended access adds time.
Bends and junctions — liners have to negotiate them, and junctions may need reinstating with a cutter afterwards.
Preparation — jetting, descaling and root cutting before lining. Check whether it is in the price or extra.
Curing method — ambient, hot water, steam or UV; UV rigs are faster but more expensive to run.

Is relining cheaper than digging the drain up?

Usually, and the gap is widest where the drain runs under something you would have to rebuild. Excavation starts around £1,000 per section, and that figure is for the drainage work — relaying block paving, tarmac, a patio or turf on top is frequently a separate line on the quote.

Excavation still wins where a drain has fully collapsed, is badly deformed, or there is no usable access to line through. A good specialist will tell you which camp your drain is in and why. See the full side-by-side on our drain relining page.

Do I need a CCTV survey before getting relining quotes?

Yes, unless you already have one. No specialist can price a liner without seeing the pipe, its condition and its length. A survey costs £150–£350 (Checkatrade, 2025) and converts a vague problem into a fixed, comparable quote.

If you already hold a report, send it to every specialist you ask — you will get sharper prices and you are comparing quotes for identical work. Ask too whether the survey fee is credited against the repair if you go ahead.