Rob Hollis
Researcher & editor, off-mains drainage
Writes independent guides on septic tanks, cesspits and sewage treatment plants for homes off the mains. Cross-checks the general binding rules and the Environment Agency, SEPA, NRW and NIEA against real prices, British Standards and what owners actually report on the forums.
Cesspit vs septic tank vs treatment plant: same price to install, ten times the difference to own→What a cesspit actually is (and why it costs six times more than a septic tank)→Septic tank regulations: the general binding rules without the scare story, and the 2020 deadline that was withdrawn before it arrived→How a septic tank works — and why the tank is the least important part→Selling a house with a septic tank: your legal duty is to tell, not to replace→Klargester BioDisc: the same model is 18 people in the brochure and 24 on the manufacturer's own declaration→The no-quote trick that turns a £150 septic tank call-out into a £6,000 bill→What septic tank emptying really costs in the UK (2026): the only official price is in Northern Ireland→What a septic tank installation costs in the UK: quotes range from £1,600 to £18,000 and nobody official publishes a thing→Septic tank maintenance in the UK: the rule says «someone who is competent» and never defines it, and asks for records «if you have them»→Septic tank problems: the tank is almost never the thing that broke→Septic tank replacement: in some catchments the council pays the whole bill→What size septic tank do I need? Bedrooms give you the people, the regulation gives you the litres→Septic tank smells: where the smell is tells you what is broken→Domestic sewage treatment plants: everyone beats the limit, so stop shopping on BOD→Shared septic tanks: jointly liable for something you don't control→Soakaway crates: what they cost, how many you need for a roof, and why no installer will put them behind a septic tank→Drainage field, not soakaway: the half of your septic system that actually treats the sewage→How to unblock a toilet — and what's actually safe on a septic tank→What not to put down a septic tank — and why British tanks don't need your bacteria→