Drift Services

11/09/2025

Watch it spurt. Oh yes. That'll do nicely, sir.
What? You want more context?
Oh, you Drifters are SO demanding.

OK. Bestie Mark Gratton and Chris Cox have just finished off on this 60m borehole into chalk at a beautiful private fishing lake in Reading.

Lucky fish having all that water to flap and float about in.

And now, because he's actually reliable and brilliant, (unlike the bosses Richard Lane and Paddy Mark Smith who are both MIA - honestly, has ANYONE seen them in the last 3 weeks?) The Gratton Gent is delivering pipes, doing site visits and raising quotes for us.

I've booked him in down south for some drilling, (no, you filthy minded followers, south ENGLAND) - he's delivering pipes over on the Welsh boarders and doing a site visit there to check on the drillers - before heading to the east coast to check in on another of our borehole jobs and do a recce for a nice juicy opportunity. Busy busy busy.

Tune in next week for more penetrating updates.

03/09/2025

Safe Decommissioning of a Redundant Well
A Case Study by Mark and Mike


Summary: At Drift, we don’t just drill wells – we decommission them too (not usually the same wells, just for clarification...)
https://lnkd.in/eCfnC3H5

On a residential housing development somewhere in Hampshire (posh postcode that), our top-most team was summoned by Richard Lane to make safe a redundant well discovered during construction.

The challenge was to backfill and seal the structure in line with Environment Agency requirements, protecting the aquifer and ensuring the site was safe for ongoing works.

The Challenge:

1) Get Christian Cox out of bed and to site.

2) Sort out a disused well, measuring 7.4 metres deep with water at surface level.

It was found in the middle of the development area. Leaving it open posed a bit of a safety risk and a potential contamination pathway to groundwater. The solution needed to be robust, environmentally responsible, and delivered quickly - so construction could continue without delay.

Step 1 - Mobilisation

Gravel, cement and Christian Cox were delivered to site, and Mark Gratton completed inductions before setting up. Kettle on, water was pumped from the well and stored to be reused in the grouting process, minimising waste.

(You could call us tight – but we’re wedded to saving costs for clients and preventing damage to the environment - so save your sass).

Step 2 - Backfill & First Grout Pour

Gravel was placed into the well in controlled increments, carefully measured at each stage.

Once the base was stabilised, a cement mix was poured to seal the lower section, curing overnight.

A filter sock was fitted to ensure no sediment entered nearby watercourses (we just used one of Mark Smith's old toe rags)…

Step 3 - Final Fill and Clear Off

The next day, inspection confirmed a solid base...and, it’s all about that base.

Additional grout mixes were poured until the well was completely sealed to ground level.

The site was cleared, equipment was washed down, and the area was reinstated to its original condition – but this time without the unexpected wet hole.

The Outcome?

The well was fully and safely decommissioned, eliminating risk to groundwater and ensuring the construction site could progress safely. By combining technical expertise with practical, environmentally sound solutions, we delivered peace of mind to the client and protection for the local environment.

And much like the well - could this case study BE any drier?
I know, Drifters, it's not what you expect. But Paddy and Rich said my last post was 'too much' ... so Mark Gratton now has to keep me on a level.

Enjoy.

02/09/2025

Put. It. Down.
Drifters, we’ve seen what you've been up to - the desperate fumble for your pipe, the frantic squeezing, the pitiful dribble…

Luckily, you don’t need to keep tugging on that sad old bit of rubber.
Because WE are here. And we’ve got something far more reliable to keep you wet.

What am I on about? Well, this summer’s heat and hosepipe bans have got everyone in a flap, but while others are drying up, we’ve been flat out across the country (especially the South East), drilling boreholes of all shapes and sizes:

🔹 Domestic dinky ones
🔹 Big juicy commercial ones
🔹 And everything in between

Our engineers aren’t sitting around twiddling their thumbs (or fiddling with their own hose pipes). They’re out there, getting stuck in - designing, drilling and delivering proper, pressurised, high-performing water solutions.

So if your hosepipe’s gone limp,
If you’re feeling the drought,
And if you want a constant supply that’ll never let you down…
Call Drift - because we don’t mess about - we keep you wet.

13/08/2025

Some interesting information from one of our previous projects

We played a central role in delivering an innovative renewable energy solution for Reading Borough Council at The Hexagon Theatre, one of the UK’s first to utilise open-loop ground source heating for both heating and cooling.

Our team drilled and tested boreholes into the chalk aquifer, confirming high-quality water with the required flow rates and efficient return — critical for system performance and sustainability.

However, the project wasn’t without challenges. and we want to highlight them in case the information is useful to others. We’re quite geekily excited about the clean, green power of geothermal heat and want to get more people on board – so if this information helps convince you to give it a go – GOOD!

Restrictions on water discharge during test pumping required a clever solution: a 250,000L temporary pillow tank. This innovative approach, a UK first for this application, enabled us to meet Environment Agency flow rate requirements while adhering to local discharge limits. It’s a testament to our ability to think outside the box (ooo!)

Despite high flint levels in the chalk, we used mud flush drilling and installed a plastic liner to protect the pump, ensuring long-term reliability. The boreholes are now capped, ready for the next phase.

This project highlights the benefits of open-loop ground source heating and our 'pioneering' (!) expertise in delivering such systems. Appointed through competitive tender, we acted as Principal Contractor, delivering the project on time and within budget. So there!

For lazy people who can’t be bothered to read what I’ve written, here are the project highlights:

💦 Techniques: cable percussion and rotary drilling with mud flush
💦 Innovation: 250,000L temporary pillow tank
💦 Environmental commitment: discharge system within strict limits
💦 Depths: boreholes to 120m, with a 10m monitoring hole

And now, we’re gearing up for the next one – case study to follow!

12/08/2025

Drift has only gone and written a feature for readers of GeoDrilling International about borehole maintenance for the restoration of efficiency and water quality

A borehole that played a critical role in a commercial bottling operation had seen a significant decline in yield. Richard Lane, Director, Drift Services Group,...

31/07/2025

Our work diary for drilling water wells is filling up fast (no pun intended)! Looks like we're going to be busy right up to the "C" word.......... "christmas". If you need a borehole, now is the time to book your slot!

31/07/2025

Fascinating fact: The Environment Agency convened a National Drought Group meeting earlier this month - following the driest spring in 132 years...

Another fascinating fact: 132 is an even composite number composed of three prime numbers multiplied together - and it *almost* adds up to Richard and Paddy's combined age (I think?) I like numbers.

Anyway, about the drought thing. We can help. And because we're hearing from farmers across the UK who're really feeling the pressure increasing to protect their crops, livestock and livelihoods we've made a new page all about how we can help.

https://lnkd.in/eNyqAYAE

Farmers are very savvy; they know the mains supplies they're relying on are not going to sustain their required rates of drawdown much longer.

As June brings a packed calendar of agricultural events - from Cereals this week to the Three Counties, Royal Cheshire, and the Great Yorkshire Show - how many conversations will there be about water security?

We work with landowners across the UK to reduce reliance on mains supply, secure year-round security, and cut long-term costs. In a changing climate, that resilience can make all the difference.

What are you waiting for? Contact us - 01323 335 004 and let's get your borehole flowing (that's not a euphemism by the way).

Obviously, when I say us - I mean Richard and Mark Smith, not me.

https://driftgroup.co.uk

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn