Across the UK, vast water and sewer networks run silently beneath our feet, and they are under increasing pressure. Keeping them flowing is vital for public health, yet service providers are being stretched by ageing infrastructure, growing urban populations and more frequent and extreme rainfall. These combined stresses make it harder to spot early warning signs and prevent small faults from escalating. When leaks or blockages go undetected, the impact can quickly be felt above ground, causing service disruption, environmental damage and rising costs for utilities and the communities they serve.
Lanes Group is one of the UK’s leading providers of drainage and sewer maintenance services, working with water utilities nationwide to help keep networks operating safely and reliably. Its inspections help identify issues such as leaks, blockages and structural deterioration at an early stage, enabling problems to be addressed before they result in service disruption or environmental harm. However, traditional inspection methods can expose crews to unnecessary risk and make it more difficult to gather the detailed information required to plan repairs effectively.
To support this work, Lanes Group partners with Minicam, a Halma company that designs portable inspection systems for confined and hazardous environments. Together, they have developed customised CCTV inspection vans that enable detailed surveys of underground pipes to be carried out safely and efficiently. These systems allow inspections to take place remotely from the safety of the van, while still providing clear imagery and accurate measurements from inside the pipe.
Survey results are transmitted via 5G, providing real-time access to critical information for maintenance planning. The detailed inspection data helps utilities prioritise repair and replacement work, preventing minor issues from escalating into major failures and supporting a more proactive approach to network management.
The collaboration between Lanes Group and Minicam is built on close, long‑term working relationships. Minicam works directly with Lanes Group’s operational teams to adapt vehicle layouts, inspection systems and equipment configurations to meet practical, real‑world requirements. Feedback from crews using the technology in the field informs ongoing product development, helping ensure solutions remain aligned with changing network conditions and customer needs.
Together, Minicam and Lanes Group are helping utilities maintain essential water networks more effectively - protecting communities, supporting environmental outcomes and enabling long‑term, sustainable management of critical underground infrastructure to build more resilient water networks for the future.
"Our partnership with Minicam places advanced CCTV vans at the centre of our operations, enabling safer remote surveys and real-time data to maintain resilient water networks and deliver reliable, sustainable service for communities."
Chris Wilde, Head of CCTV at Lanes Group
