A Successful Sewage Treatment Plant Installation in Cheshire
How we replaced a failed shared septic tank with a 20 population sewage treatment plant for five homes in Cheshire.
Key takeaways
- A failing septic tank shared by five Cheshire properties was replaced with a 20 population sewage treatment plant in four days.
- Replacing a shared tank means getting every property owner to agree on what needs doing.
- A tank serving five homes is large, so the job needed a big excavation and room for machinery.
- A 20 population plant can take the waste from that many people across all five properties.
- A pre-works visit covered the extent of the work, the state of the garden during it and any reinstatement.
- Limited access for machinery and a high water table are the main things that make an installation harder.
- Once the plant sits level and the hole is backfilled, turf or grass seed brings the garden back.
Delivering a great Sewage Treatment Plant installation service to this Cheshire customer
The UKDP team was contacted by a property owner in Cheshire, whose property connected into a failing septic tank. The situation was more complicated, because the failing septic tank was serving more than one property. In this case, it was serving five properties!
Now, shared septic tanks can be troublesome for a number of reasons, and if you’re interested to know what the challenges are you can read our UKDP guide to shared septic tanks.
There are lots of challenges in replacing a failed shared septic tank. You need all the property owners to be on the same page with regards what needs to be done to get things sorted, and co-ordinating everyone can be a real challenge. Also, if you have a septic tank which is providing drainage for five properties, the tank itself will be pretty big, and the replacement tank will need to be similarly sized! This requires a big excavation and lots of access to be able to get the required machinery in and out.
If you’ve ever wondered about what size a septic tank, sewage treatment plant or cesspit needs to be, then you can find out more in our article explaining everything here.
In this sewage treatment plant installation in Cheshire, a 20 population plant was required. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean that 20 people need to set up home in said treatment plant, it simply means that the plant is able to accommodate the waste from that many people across the five properties.
Now, sewage treatment plant installations can be big, messy projects. From all the machinery that is needed to dig down deep enough to install the plant, to all of the soil and ground that needs to be removed once the excavation has been finished. It’s understandable really that the prospect of having this carried out at your property can be a really daunting one! Particularly so if you are the green-fingered type who has lovingly tended to their garden over the years.
A big part of what the UKDP team do is to ensure that any works are carried out to the highest standards, and also that we walk through the detail of the works with our customers. We do this through a pre-works visit to the property, during which we run through all of the detail of the works, from an honest outline as to the extent of the works and the likely state of the area while they’re being carried out, to a discussion as to any reinstatement works that might be needed. A shrub that needs replacing? Some plants that need to be moved? It’s all in the detail, and our team are focused on doing everything possible to make sure we leave a property as we found it. Even down to making sure that the tank is exactly level!
In this sewage treatment plant installation in Cheshire, the works needed were significant due to the size of the plant. However, in spite of the extent of the works required, the installation itself was fairly straightforward. There are many things which can make a sewage treatment plant installation more complicated, for example, if there is limited access to move machinery in and out of the area of excavation. Also, if the ground conditions at the property are challenging. Sometimes, there can be a very high water table, and whilst this sounds like some sort of grand feature that you could invite your friends over to see, unfortunately what it actually means is that the ground is really sodden. This usually gets worse the further down you dig, and in some cases it’s so bad that water gushes in to the excavated hole.
Usually, once this is all complete, turf or grass seed will be used, and before you know it things are back to normal and you would barely know anything had even happened!
Once the works were complete, our customer in Cheshire was really happy with how things had gone. From the pre-works visit at the start, to the professional way in which the works were carried out, they felt that things had gone as smoothly as they possibly could have! From start to finish, the works took just four days, but all details were carefully covered off to ensure a professional finish and what will be decades of trouble-free use from a brand new sewage treatment plant installation.
Here at UKDP, our team has decades of combined technical experience of septic tanks, sewage treatment plants and cesspits, from sizing them, to installing them, to repairing them or replacing them.
Did you know, that sometimes the cost to repair or replace your sewage treatment plant or septic tank is covered by the buildings insurance you already have in place? And that the team at UKDP also have decades of experience of dealing with insurance claims to replace damaged drainage systems? We can assist property owners at every stage, from preparing a report to exacting insurance industry standards, through to liaising with insurers and making sure that any works agreed are carried out to the highest possible standards. If you’re not sure whether you have the right cover in place, or if you are covered for any septic tank problems you’re currently having, you can read our guide to septic tank insurance or complete our eligibility checker to find out more!
Whether it’s a new sewage treatment plant installation you need, or advice with a septic tank problem, our team are always here to help! Contact us today!

Shared systems like this one are where most of the complexity sits, from agreeing the work across several owners to getting the machinery on site. It is the kind of off-mains project UKDP handles end to end, with support on the insurance claim included.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a sewage treatment plant cost to install?
A new system typically starts around £10,000 to £12,000 for a single home, and more for a larger shared plant like the one in this project. Ground conditions, access and the number of properties all affect it, so we quote after a site survey.
How long does a sewage treatment plant installation take?
For a single property, usually five to seven working days. A larger shared system like this Cheshire job can move quickly once access is sorted; this one took four days. Ground conditions and access are the main variables.
Can several properties share one sewage treatment plant?
Yes. A single larger plant can serve several homes, as in this project, which is often more practical than everyone running their own. The sizing is based on the total number of people served.
About the author
Sam Warren
UKDP co-founder
Sam Warren co-founded UKDP with James Warren in 2009 as an off-mains drainage specialist.
Need help with your septic tank or drainage?
Reach out to us on 0800 028 9903. Our team are here to talk Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

