Ringway rides to the rescue

A nearby ground collapse damaged a main sewage pipe and the heavy rain caused raw sewerage to back up within the hospital’s system. Although it did not affect services, something had to be done.

The hospital turned to the KHS emergency centre in desperation after failing to get help from other sources. 

To quickly pinpoint the problem, drainage team supervisor Mark Greeves was diverted to the incident. Working with a hospital maintenance engineer they found the source.

KHS’s new jetting vehicle or Super Sucker was mobilised with a tanker to clear the blockage and restore the system to full working order as quickly as possible.

To prevent further inconvenience to the hospital, the drainage team also cleared flooding in the car park.

From start to finish, this emergency was completed in little over an hour.

Peter Bridgman, Drainage Manager said “This situation enabled the drainage team to show their skill. My team did an amazing job and we are glad to have helped.”

Nick Chard, KCC Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste said: “I can only praise the Kent Highways Team for their rapid action and response to the problem. It shows how having the right equipment like the new jetting vehicle can get people out of sticky situations.

A Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust spokesman said: “The combined efforts of KCC’s Highways Service and our own Estates staff helped ensure services continued as normal.”

Notes to editors - facts on the new jetting vehicle or ‘Super Sucker’.

• The high volume Super Sucker is 32 tonnes fully loaded;
• It can remove waste materials from up to 30 metres depth;
• It has a powerful liquid ring vacuum pump that operates in combination with a high performance high pressure water jetting pump;
• The equipment used on the Super Sucker achieves noticeably lower noise levels during operation, particularly important when the vehicle is being used in residential areas;
• KCC now have a faster response time and are able to programme more effectively;
• The size of the vehicle enables KCC to resolve flooding issues quickly and more efficiently releasing other vehicles for scheduled gully cleansing and smaller emergencies.