Tank emptying, treatment plant servicing, grease traps and drain clearance for homes, farms and businesses in Chichester, around the harbour and across the downs.
Chichester is a city with a lot of countryside on its doorstep. The city itself is on mains drainage, but head out to the harbour villages, the farms of the coastal plain or the downland valleys to the north, and a great many homes rely on septic tanks, cesspits and treatment plants. Between them, they account for much of the work we do around Chichester.
The area has two very different kinds of ground. South of the city, the coastal plain is flat and the water table is high, especially near the harbour, so drainage fields and soakaways can fill up in a wet winter. North of it, the chalk of the downs drains freely but feeds the springs and groundwater that supply drinking water, and in very wet years that groundwater rises too: the Lavant valley has flooded several times.
In the city centre, restaurants, cafés and pubs need their grease traps emptied and drains kept clear. Whatever you need, our tankers cover Chichester from our yard in Copthorne, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
From cottages near the harbour to farms in the downland valleys, we empty septic tanks and cesspits with tankers that hold 2,000 to 4,000 gallons. On the coastal plain, a high winter water table can leave a drainage field waterlogged, so we’ll let you know if yours looks like it’s struggling. For cesspits, we can book regular collections so they never get close to full.
Learn more
Treatment plants are common around Chichester, particularly where an old septic tank used to discharge to a ditch or stream, which the Environment Agency’s rules no longer allow. We service all the common makes, carry the most common parts, and repair blowers, pumps and diffusers. If your system needs upgrading, we can survey it and install a new plant.
Learn more
Restaurants, pubs, cafés and hotels in the city produce a lot of fat, oil and grease. We empty grease traps on a schedule that suits your kitchen, clear blocked drains with high-pressure jetting, and survey problem drains with a camera. We can work early or late so we’re not in the way of your customers, and every collection comes with a waste transfer note.
Learn more
When groundwater rises or heavy rain floods a basement, cellar, chamber or car park, our tankers can pump it out and take it away. For homes on septic tanks, we can also empty the tank when high groundwater stops the drainage field working, to keep things going until the ground dries out.
Learn moreLocal knowledge
Harbour, plain and downs each bring their own challenges for septic tanks and drains.
On the flat land around Chichester Harbour, groundwater sits close to the surface in winter. Drainage fields there need to be designed with that in mind.
The chalk north of the city can fill up in a very wet winter, and the Lavant valley has flooded before. Septic tanks and drainage fields there can be affected when it does.
A septic tank that discharges straight to a ditch, stream or the harbour doesn’t meet the Environment Agency’s rules and needs upgrading, usually to a treatment plant.
Local to you
From the city centre to the harbour villages, the Manhood Peninsula and the valleys of the downs, we cover Chichester and the countryside around it.
Chichester · city and nearby
Surrounding villages · where septic tanks and cesspits are common
If you’re within a few miles of Chichester, the answer is almost certainly yes. Call with your postcode and we’ll confirm.
Why Chichester customers use us
Whether it’s a cesspit near the harbour, a treatment plant on a farm or a grease trap in the city centre, 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.
Emergency call-outs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with a real person answering the phone.
Our engineers and most of our tanker drivers hold current confined space entry certificates, and the engineers carry the most common parts.
Tankers from 2,000 to 4,000 gallons, jet/vac combination units, CCTV survey kit and confined space teams for pump station wet wells.
A waste transfer note with every collection, and a written report after surveys and services.
Regular customers get a reminder when their next empty or service is due.
Checkatrade
From 134 reviews · Read them
From 63 reviews · Read them
Scores as of September 2026
★★★★★I have used Clearmasters now for 4 years and the service has been excellent. Very punctual on the day and their planning team have always been very helpful in finding convenient dates to service and maintain our pumps and tanks. I recommend.
Adam G. Google review
★★★★★Very professional operation. Super clean tanker. Responded quickly to quote and booking requests. Arrived on time. Kept us notified throughout. Very pleasant and helpful guy operating the equipment. Gave sound advice with ongoing maintenance tips. Will definitely be saving Clearmasters' contact details to use them again.
★★★★★Clearmasters have emptied our Septic Tank for many years. It is not an easy placed tank to get to but the chaps manage perfectly. I find them very efficient, friendly and polite. Thank you Valerie Wise
How it works
The same simple process whether it’s a regular tank empty, a service or a one-off problem.
Step 1
Call us or book online and tell us what you have, and what’s wrong if anything. If you don’t know what kind of system you’ve got, don’t worry: we’ll work it out when we get there.
Step 2
We send the right size tanker or a service van. 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
Regular emptying, a service contract or a one-off job, tell us what you need and we’ll come back with a price. If something’s overflowing, call us now instead.
Questions answered
The questions we’re asked most often by homeowners, landlords and businesses in and around Chichester.
Very likely. Under the Environment Agency’s General Binding Rules, a septic tank must not discharge directly to a ditch, stream or other surface water. Those that did had to be replaced or upgraded by 1 January 2020, or sooner if the property was sold. A septic tank survey will confirm where yours goes, and we can install a treatment plant if needed.
Around the harbour and on the coastal plain, groundwater rises close to the surface in winter, and a drainage field can’t get rid of water into ground that’s already saturated. Emptying the tank more often through the wet months helps, and in some cases the drainage field needs replacing or redesigning.
Most manufacturers ask for at least one service a year, plus emptying when the sludge builds up. We service all the common makes and can remind you when yours is due.
Yes. We empty grease traps for restaurants, pubs, cafés and hotels, and can work early in the morning or after closing. You’ll get a waste transfer note every time.
Yes. Our tankers can pump out flooded cellars, basements, chambers and car parks. If high groundwater is stopping your septic tank draining, we can empty the tank to keep it working until the ground dries out.
Our tankers are based in Copthorne and cover the whole of West Sussex. For emergencies, call 03333 233566 and we’ll tell you honestly when we can be there. Routine emptying and servicing is booked in advance at a time that suits you.
Got a different question? Call 03333 233566 or send us a message.
We're independently vetted and certified so you can trust who you're letting onto your site.
Health & safety pre-qualification accreditation, verifying our processes meet recognised safety standards.
Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme — approved to work safely within the rail industry supply chain.
Utilities Vetting Database membership, confirming we meet the utilities sector's supply chain standards.
Vetted and approved under the local authority's trusted trader scheme for honesty and fair dealing.
Members of the National Association of Drainage Contractors, the UK trade body for the drainage industry.
Registered with the Environment Agency, so your waste is handled and disposed of fully within the law.
Keep the site, forms and online booking working, and protect them from spam.
Google Analytics: counts visits and shows us which pages are useful, so we can improve the site.
Meta (Facebook) pixel: measures our Facebook adverts and shows our adverts to people who've visited our site.
CLEARMASTERS