Emptying, servicing and repairs for septic tanks, cesspits and treatment plants in Petersfield and the villages of the South Downs around it.
Petersfield sits inside the South Downs National Park, and most of the land around it is farmland, woodland and small villages. Many of those homes, from East Meon and Froxfield to Hawkley and Chalton, aren’t on the mains sewer. They use septic tanks, cesspits and treatment plants, and that’s the work we come to the Petersfield area for.
The ground changes a lot over a few miles. The town itself sits on sandier ground, the chalk of the downs rises to the south, and there are heavy clays in the valleys between. A soakaway that works well on one side of a village can struggle on the other, so we look at the whole system rather than assuming it’s just a full tank.
We have crews in Hampshire almost every day, and Petersfield is right on the A3, so it’s well within our regular patch. We can set up regular collections and services, and if something goes wrong there’s a real person on the phone day and night.
Old cottages and farmhouses around Petersfield often have a septic tank or cesspit that’s been there for decades. We empty both and check the baffles, inlet and outlet while we’re there. If a cesspit fills faster than you expect, it may be letting in groundwater or rainwater, which is worth finding out about before it costs you more in emptying.
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A treatment plant needs regular servicing to keep the blower running, the diffusers clear and the water it discharges clean enough for the ground or watercourse it goes to. Our engineers service plants at homes, holiday lets and barn conversions around Petersfield, carry the common parts, and leave a written report.
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Alarms, smells, grey water or a plant that has gone quiet are all signs that something has stopped working. We find the fault and repair or replace the blower, pump, float switch or control panel. For pump chambers, our confined space teams can work safely in the wet well when they need to.
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Buying a home in the park with its own drainage, or wondering whether your old tank meets the rules? A survey tells you what the system is, what condition it’s in and where it discharges, so you know whether you need to budget for any work.
Learn moreLocal knowledge
A national park, mixed ground and old buildings all affect private drainage here.
New or replacement systems that need planning permission go to the South Downs National Park Authority. It’s worth checking early if you’re planning a new drainage field or plant.
Within a few miles you can move from sandy soil to heavy clay to chalk. Clay drains slowly, so drainage fields in the clay vales are more likely to struggle in winter.
The Rother and the Meon both rise near Petersfield. A tank that discharges straight into a ditch or stream has to be upgraded under the General Binding Rules.
Local to you
From the town out to the villages of the downs, the Rother valley and the Meon valley, here’s where we work around Petersfield.
Petersfield · town and nearby
Surrounding villages · where septic tanks and cesspits are common
If you’re in or around Petersfield, call with your postcode and we’ll let you know when we can come out.
Why Petersfield customers use us
Whether it’s a cesspit at a farmhouse near Hawkley or a treatment plant at a barn conversion in East Meon, here’s what you can expect.
We’ve been emptying tanks and servicing systems since long before most of the kit on the market existed.
Our engineers and most of our tanker drivers hold current confined space entry certificates, and the engineers carry the most common parts.
Regular customers get a reminder when their next empty or service is due.
A waste transfer note with every collection, and a written report after surveys and services.
Tankers from 2,000 to 4,000 gallons, jet/vac combination units, CCTV survey kit and confined space teams for pump station wet wells.
Tanks, treatment plants, pump stations, grease traps and drains, all handled by one team.
Checkatrade
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Scores as of September 2026
★★★★★Turned up on time - couldn't have been more helpful. Very pleasant and courteous I couldn't fault anything.
Checkatrade review Checkatrade · GU32
★★★★★Great service from the initial call to the guys that come out. And we’re at the house within 3-4 hours. That’s why we’ve always used them
★★★★★We use Clearmasters regularly for our cesspool emptying and can't fault them at all. Always friendly and professional, both on the phone and the drivers. Online credit card payment which makes life easy. Highly recommend.
How it works
Simple and the same every time, whether it’s a regular empty or a plant that has stopped working.
Step 1
Call us or book online and tell us what kind of system you have, roughly how big it is if you know, and whether anything’s wrong. Old paperwork or a photo of the lid helps, but isn’t essential.
Step 2
We send a tanker or a service engineer on a date that suits you. It helps if:
Step 3
You get a waste transfer note for anything we take away, and a written report after a survey or service. If it’s a regular job, we’ll remind you when the next one is due.
Free, no-obligation quote
Tell us about your tank or plant and we’ll give you a price for emptying, servicing, a repair or a survey. If it’s overflowing, call us now instead.
Questions answered
What people in and around Petersfield most often ask us.
You may. A new treatment plant or drainage field can need planning permission, which in the South Downs National Park is decided by the park authority, and it must also meet the Environment Agency’s rules on discharges. Check with both before work starts.
A cesspit has no outlet, so everything that goes in stays there until it’s emptied. If it’s filling faster than usual, rainwater or groundwater may be getting in through a cracked chamber or a gutter connected by mistake. We can check for that when we empty it.
Use as little water as you can and call us on 03333 233566. Don’t open the control panel. An alarm usually means a blower, pump or float switch has stopped working, and the sooner it’s fixed the less chance of untreated water going into the ground.
It can be. Clay doesn’t let water soak away quickly, so drainage fields in clay are more likely to flood or back up in a wet winter. If yours struggles every year, a survey can show whether it needs extending, replacing or a different approach.
Yes. Once we know how quickly your tank or cesspit fills, we’ll remind you when the next empty is due, or book regular collections so you don’t have to think about it.
For regular emptying and servicing, a little notice helps us give you the day you want. If there’s a problem, call 03333 233566 at any time and we’ll tell you when we can be there.
Got a different question? Call 03333 233566 or send us a message.
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Members of the National Association of Drainage Contractors, the UK trade body for the drainage industry.
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