Found them! Unfortunately they are much, much closer than we had hoped. I have been getting rather frustrated at Wessex Water saying that they have an ‘exclusion zone’ of 2 metres, but now we have found the pipes (show in green in the drawing), it is clear that the storm water drain is located in the vicinity of the foundation. So,irrespective of Wessex Water’s view and approvals, we would not be able to build on top like this in any case.Having consulted the engineers at Wessex Water over this finding, they have come back and said that we will need to divert. This is a major set back, and one that will consume all of our contingencies in one go. Also, to divert both foul and storm water drain, we will need no less than 8 manholes in our rear garden – a tad excessive.

I fear we may need to go back to the drawing board. Not good timing given the project is out for tender.