Emergency Concrete Response for Emergency Callouts in Bristol

Try to work out why it happened before anyone fills the hole. Sudden sinking is often caused by something underneath, such as a collapsed drain, a leaking water main washing away the ground, or poorly compacted fill. If you can smell gas, move people away and report it to the national gas emergency line; if water is running, the water company needs to know; and if a public sewer or the highway is involved, the relevant authority is responsible. Filling a void over a broken drain only moves the problem.

Some damage needs an engineer before a contractor. Cracking or displacement in a retaining wall, a suspended slab, a car park deck or a column hit by a vehicle may affect the structure, and a structural engineer should assess it before repairs are specified. Temporary propping or barriers may be needed in the meantime. Where the damage is to a slab laid directly on the ground, a concrete contractor can usually assess it and make it safe.

When you make an enquiry, describe what has happened, the size and depth of the damage, what the area is used for, whether the cause is known, and whether utilities or drains are nearby. Photographs with something in the frame for scale help. Independent concrete contractors can then advise whether a temporary measure, such as a steel road plate, a cold-lay patch or a rapid-setting mortar, is appropriate until a permanent repair can be designed, and what that temporary measure will and will not withstand.

A permanent repair normally means breaking out the damaged concrete back to sound material, dealing with the cause below, rebuilding and compacting the sub-base, and casting new concrete tied into the existing slab with suitable joints. Rapid-hardening mixes can reopen an area sooner, but they cost more and still need correct preparation. Ask how the repair will be joined to the existing concrete, because the edges of a patch are where water gets in and failures start again.

Keep records for insurers and for your own liability. Photograph the damage before anything is moved, note when it was found and what was done to make it safe, and keep any report on the cause, such as a drain survey. If someone was injured, record the incident, and in a workplace consider whether it needs reporting under RIDDOR. If a third party caused the damage, such as a delivery vehicle, keep the details for a claim.

Before agreeing urgent work with the concrete contractors you are put in touch with, ask what the first visit covers, whether the price is for making safe only or for the permanent repair, whether a drain survey or an engineer's input is allowed for, and when the area can be used again after each stage.