PAS128 Utility & GPR Surveys in Horsham

PAS128 utility surveys and GPR surveys across Horsham and the surrounding district, from our head office in Horsham itself.

Call Us For A Free Quote 0345 548 5451
  • Head office in Horsham, West Sussex
  • PAS128 quality levels QL-D to QL-A
  • EML + GPR detection, CAD drawings
Ambler Group surveyor carrying out a GPR utility survey – Horsham

Underground utility surveys in Horsham – find it before you dig

Ambler Group carries out PAS128 utility surveys and GPR surveys in Horsham for main contractors, groundworkers, M&E contractors, developers, consultants and facilities teams. Our head office is in Horsham itself, so sites across the town, Southwater, Billingshurst and the rest of Horsham district are on our doorstep.

Need more than buried services? We also carry out topographical surveys in Horsham and CCTV drainage surveys. Find out more about our utility surveys and GPR surveys across the UK on the main Ambler Group website.

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Utility surveys on Horsham sites

Horsham mixes a historic market-town centre with fast-growing edges. Around the Carfax and the Causeway, services run under narrow streets, setts and listed frontages, often in shallow cover and with little detail on the records. On the edges of the town, large housing schemes to the north, at Broadbridge Heath and around Southwater are adding new mains, ducts and street lighting faster than the asset owners’ plans are updated.

We combine electromagnetic location with ground penetrating radar to find what the records miss, and tie everything to OS National Grid so the drawing lines up with your design. Typical work includes highway and infrastructure works on new estates, unit and yard works on the Foundry Lane and Parsonage Way estates, school and leisure extensions, and village schemes right across Horsham district.

Typical Horsham utility survey instructions

  • PAS128 survey of an estate spine road and junction ahead of S278 highway works
  • GPR and EML survey of an industrial yard on Parsonage Way before new drainage and EV charging ducts
  • Utility clearance of borehole and window sample positions for a site investigation in Southwater
  • Concrete scanning of a town-centre retail slab before coring for new services
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What we plan for on Horsham utility surveys

Weald Clay

Much of Horsham sits on Weald Clay, which absorbs radar signal, so EML, sondes and chamber inspections carry more of the detection.

New-build estates

Recently laid mains, ducts and street lighting on new estates are often missing from records, so we survey what is there, not what was planned.

Historic centre

Setts, narrow streets and listed buildings around the Carfax and the Causeway mean careful working and hand-held equipment.

Rural sites

Village and farm sites can have private water mains, septic tanks and buried feeds to outbuildings that appear on no record.

Utility surveys for construction projects in Horsham

Main contractors, groundworkers, M&E contractors, developers and consultants use our utility surveys at every stage of a project in Horsham – from early design through to the moment the excavator arrives on site.

Design and feasibility

Desktop records and a detection survey early on show where services run and how deep they are, so the design avoids costly diversions.

Before you dig

A PAS128 survey with GPR, marked out on site, gives groundworkers a reliable picture before excavation, piling or ducting starts, in line with HSE guidance HSG47.

Borehole and trial pit clearance

Positions for site investigation, piling and fence posts checked and cleared before drilling or digging.

Records and handover

Utility drawings in CAD for the design team, the health and safety file and future works on the site.

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What your utility survey includes

  • Desktop utility records search from the asset owners (Type D)
  • Site reconnaissance matching records to covers, markers and street furniture (Type C)
  • Detection with electromagnetic location (EML) and ground penetrating radar (GPR) (Type B)
  • Verification at chambers and exposed services where required (Type A)
  • Every service labelled with its PAS128 quality level, including QL-B1 to QL-B4
  • CAD drawings (DWG/DXF) tied to OS National Grid, with depths where detected
  • Services marked out on site in paint or pegs on request
  • Survey report setting out the methods used and any limitations

We locate services with Radiodetection RD8200 and RD8100 cable and pipe locators with signal transmitters, and Proceq GS8000 ground penetrating radar, positioned with GNSS and total stations on OS National Grid.

How it works

  1. 1

    Send us the site

    Email a site plan or marked-up aerial showing the area, plus what you need it for and any access notes.

  2. 2

    Fixed quote and RAMS

    We confirm the survey type, quality level and days on site, and issue site-specific RAMS for your induction.

  3. 3

    Survey on site

    Our surveyors attend from our Horsham head office, in the town itself, set out any traffic management, and survey with EML and GPR.

  4. 4

    Drawings and mark-out

    You receive the CAD drawing and report, and services can be marked on the ground for your excavation team.

PAS128 Utility & GPR Surveys in Horsham | Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: How quickly can you carry out a utility survey in Horsham?

A: Our head office is in Horsham, so most sites in the town and district can be booked in short order once scope and access are agreed. Tell us your deadline when you send the site plan and we will confirm a date with the quote.

Q2: Does GPR work on Horsham’s clay soils?

A: Weald Clay reduces how deep GPR can see, especially when it is wet. We use EML, signal transmitters and sondes alongside GPR, inspect chambers, and set out any limitations on the drawing and in the report, so you know where trial holes are advisable.

Q3: Can you survey services on a new housing estate before adoption?

A: Yes. We survey roads, footways and plots on new and part-built estates, picking up mains, ducts, street lighting and drainage. This is useful for S278 and S38 works, plot changes and resolving snags before adoption.

Q4: What is a PAS128 utility survey?

A: PAS128 is the British Standards Institution specification for detecting, verifying and locating underground utilities. It sets out four survey types (desktop records search, site reconnaissance, detection and verification) and labels every service on the drawing with a quality level, so designers and contractors know how reliable each line is.

Q5: What is the difference between a GPR survey and a utility survey?

A: Many people call a utility survey a GPR survey. In practice we use both electromagnetic location (EML) and ground penetrating radar (GPR) together: EML traces metallic cables and pipes, and GPR picks up plastic pipes, ducts, chambers and other features that a cable locator cannot see.

Survey instrument used to position detected services on OS National Grid

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Why choose Ambler Group for PAS128 utility and GPR surveys in Horsham?

1

Head office in Horsham

Our head office is in Horsham, West Sussex, so your site in Horsham is covered by our southern survey teams – a local firm that knows the area.

2

Utility surveyors first

Detecting buried services is our core work, using EML and GPR together and reporting to PAS128 quality levels so you know how far to rely on each line.

3

Everything in one visit

PAS128 utility, GPR, topographical and CCTV drainage surveys from one team, with one set of RAMS and one coordinated set of drawings.

If you’re looking for reliable, professional PAS128 utility and GPR surveys in Horsham, contact us today!

Clients Reviews

“Ambler Group have been our number one go to for all of our topographical, UGS & GPR Surveys.”

Ryan, Director – Topographical, Utility and GPR

Read more about Ambler Group

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Book a survey in Sussex & Surrey

For a fast, fixed quote, send us:

  • The site address or postcode
  • A site plan or marked-up aerial image showing the survey area
  • What the survey is for – design, planning, excavation, piling or records
  • Access notes – working hours, permits, inductions

We usually come back with a fixed quote the same or next working day.

  • Head office:

    Ambler Group Limited
    Springfield House, Springfield Road,
    Horsham RH12 2RG

    Company registration number: 12568344

  • Areas we cover:

    Horsham, Crawley and Gatwick, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill, Worthing, Chichester, Guildford, Woking, Reigate and Redhill, Epsom and Leatherhead, Camberley and Farnham – and the rest of Sussex, Surrey and the South East.

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