A town on a slope
Darwen is built up the side of a valley, with terraces climbing steep streets below the moors and Darwen Tower on the skyline. Much of the older housing is stone-built mill-era terrace, with newer estates on the edges of town. Rainfall is heavier on the Pennine edge than in the valley below, and all of it has to go somewhere.
Slope changes drains in two ways. A drain laid on a steep gradient can run so fast that water outruns the solids and leaves them behind, which is why a steep drain can block without warning. And on terraced hillsides the drain from one house often has to cross or run beneath its neighbours to reach the sewer, so responsibility can be tangled.
Surface water, silt and flooding
Rain running off the moors and down steep streets carries silt, leaves and grit into gullies and surface water drains, which can choke them in a heavy shower. Houses at the bottom of a slope, and any with a cellar, are the ones most at risk when a drain backs up, because the water finds the lowest point. If water is coming up inside, see flooding and sewage back-up.
Frost on higher ground
The higher, more exposed streets in Darwen can see harder frosts than the valley floor, and a freeze followed by a thaw is when pipes in lofts, outhouses and outside walls give way. If you live up the hill, know where your stop tap is and check it turns before winter. If a pipe does burst, shut the water off and call: see burst and leaking pipes.
Postcodes covered and nearby areas
We cover the BB3 postcode district: the town centre, Over Darwen, Lower Darwen, Hoddlesden, Tockholes and Pickup Bank. For the villages a little further up the valley or towards Bolton, call and ask.
Our services in Darwen
Every service is available in Darwen. Pick the one that matches your problem, or call and the team will tell you which it is.