Blog

Not all surfaces affected by potholes and surface wear are public or residential roads. Many service roads and car parks that are privately owned by businesses/entities also suffer from the same issues. Viable infrastructure is what keeps Britains on the move so it is equally important for businesses/companies/schools/hospitals etc. to invest in maintaining entrance/exit roads and their car parks.   The British Parking Association believes that over half of all car parks in the UK contain some form of structural decay. It is therefore essential to protect and maintain your car park surface as a means of maximising life expectancy.  Many problems with commercial road surfaces have occurred over the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since most offices and shops entered lockdown measures and a large percentage of the population worked from home, maintenance works were neglected. Now, as some workers are starting to return to their offices and children to school they can see the access roads and car parks have fallen into disrepair.    It is the company/entity legal responsibility to provide maintenance for their roads/car parks and repair any issues that may arise. Should an incident occur with a pedestrian or vehicle that is a direct result of the surface falling into disrepair, then the property owners may be liable. In many cases, the business/association may face very costly legal action against themselves and still have to incur the cost of repairing problematic areas on top of this.  Not only can this be financially hard-hitting but can also be costly from a moral standpoint and result in diminishing reputation.  If a company/business fails to act on basic maintenance issues then it does not reflect well on them. It can give the impression that the wellbeing of employees, clients and stakeholders is not of high importance as they are willing to allow all to drive over poorly surfaced roads and potentially cause damage/crashes on company property. Access roads and car parks are the very first thing a person sees before they enter a premises. If  the first thing they are greeted with is a road/car park in need of extensive maintenance works then the first impression isn’t going to be a good one. From an aesthetic standpoint it is imperative that a car park is not full of holes and divots if it is to give a professional appearance that is a reflection of the business.    The Top 5 Ways to Maintain Commercial Road Surfaces    1) Develop a Surface Drainage System Installing an effective drainage system in your car park is not only regulation but is also imperative to maintaining the surface wellbeing. If surface liquids and other materials do not have an effective runoff and drainage system then they cause erosion, pollution and in certain cases; localised flooding.  Surface erosion will create cracks and crevases which in turn develop into potholes if not not dealt with quickly. These potholes will only cause further damage to road users vehicles and be a source of potential hazards/injuries.  Pollution from materials such as: vehicle oil, fuel, grease, hydraulic fluids and suspended solids can be a direct result of poor surface drainage. In many cases additional measures may be needed to ensure that none of these pollutants enter surface water drains or other water courses. The installation of oil separators can be used to combat this. Aside from the environmental impact and potential health hazards; a business may also be prosecuted if they are not seen to deal with polluted materials.  Localised flooding can be a direct result of poorly maintained or a non-existent drainage system. If surface water drains are not regularly cleaned and unblocked then this can cause water to back up and flood as it has nowhere else to go. Once water starts pooling then it will start to damage the integrity of the surface above and below ground.  Does your commercial property already have a drainage system? If so, it may need to be improved or evaluated to ensure it is up to standards and regulations. If a more efficient drainage system is installed then it could do a lot to prevent road surface issues going forward. With over 20 years experience in the industry, THB can install and maintain the drainage systems in your car park and access roads to help prevent and eradicate any drainage issues.    2) Filling in the Cracks and Potholes Winter nights in the UK tend to experience high rainfall and below-freezing temperatures regularly. Subsequently, below surface water from rainwater frequently freezes; expanding, contracting and causing weakening to various parts of the surface over days, weeks, and months. This movement in the substrata then pushes towards the surface and as vehicles drive over the area regularly, it eventually causes pieces of the road to become loose and break away from the surface. The early signs of damage will be small cracks and holes on the surface. That is how dangerous potholes are formed. Access roads and car parks are the very first thing a person sees before they enter a premises. If the first thing they are greeted with is a road/car park in need of extensive maintenance works then the first impression isn’t going to be a good one. From an aesthetic standpoint it is imperative that a car park is not full of holes and divots if it is to give a professional appearance that is a reflection of the business. The faster you act, the more effective pothole reparations are. The longer these problematic areas are left, the worse the situation will become. As the potholes become more trafficked and weather conditions worsen, this will only lead to the holes becoming longer, wider, deeper and more prevalent throughout a road. As the conditions worsen then subsequently so do the negative effects.    3) Vegetation Clearance Do you have a lot of trees and bushes surrounding the commercial roads of your property? Through clearing and eradicating problematic vegetation (trees, hedges, bushes)  that encroach on or

One of UK’s Leading partners in infrastructure services, THB has been awarded work installing a network of ducts and chambers for Gnetworks’ fibre installation rollout. THB will be working alongside other contractors for the London wide scheme. The contract commenced in June 2021 and will run for five years with an option to extend on a yearly basis after the first 5 years. Following a £1bn investment in December 2020 this scheme will see THB and others deliver fibre installation across 13 different London boroughs as a result of Gnetworks rapid expansion from Central London. The benefits for businesses and residents are significant. Customers are able to get ultrafast, reliable broadband which is far superior and cheaper than old copper connections. With a new GNetwork connection, residents can get up to 900 Mbps per property while businesses can get up to 10 Gbps. That is over 13 times the average broadband speed Londoners are currently receiving today. Chris Salisbury, Project Director at THB comments: “This is a major contract for THB and the company looks forward to a long and successful relationship working alongside Gnetwork in London. We are committed to providing Londoners with more reliable and efficient broadband.”

Everything you wanted to know about Hydroblasting Hydroblasting is the best option for cleaning surfaces, from road marking removal to re-texturing asphalt. It has low environmental impact to the surrounds, and is clean, quick and safe. Using high-pressure water, THB’s hydroblaster units can remove all types of road markings, pollution, rubbish, animal waste and other materials safely from areas, restoring them back to their original condition. Read below to find out just some of the benefits of hydroblasting.   It’s Environmentally Friendly Unlike other road and surface cleaning methods, our Hydroblasters collect all the dirt and other waste into an onboard tank for disposal, ensuring there is no runoff into drains and keeping the waste out of the waterways and the ocean. The units also reuse the filtered water, reducing waste and helping conserve water.   It’s Low Impact As THB’s hydroblaster units both recycle the water and ensure that all dirt and other materials are kept out of the waterways, hydroblasting is an efficient and low impact way to clean surfaces, from busy thoroughfares like airport runways, or high traffic pedestrian areas.   It’s Safe Hydroblasting uses only water to both deep clean all surfaces and even re-texture asphalt. With the ultra-high pressure of up to 40,000 PSI that our units can deliver, no other additives are needed to ensure that roads and other surfaces are brought back to their original condition.   It’s Cheap Hydroblasting is a lot more cost effective than other industrial cleaning techniques, simply because it requires less time and less manpower.  With our dedicated team of professionals, THB can efficiently clean a range of areas, from car parks to roads, warehouses and factories, playgrounds & sports surfaces as well as ensuring airport runways are maintained to the high standards as per the guidelines.   It’s Fast Hydroblasting allows areas to be cleaned that could otherwise be hard to reach. Our units and specialised unit heads can direct the water accurately and into tight areas, so all surfaces can be cleansed quickly and efficiently.   It Can Remove Marks and Scuffs from Surfaces Hydroblasting is the most environmentally friendly method of removing marks, scuffs and lines from surfaces.  From removing dangerous fuel traces from airport runways, to treating playgrounds and carparks, hydroblasting is an efficient way to restore surfaces back to their original condition.   It Can Re-Texturise Roads to Make Them Safer Roads, especially high traffic areas like corners and popular thoroughfares can collect rubber, oil and other debris on their surface.  This can make the road itself less safe to drive on, as the surface becomes slicker with time, causing tyres to slip as they go around corners.  By hydroblasting the asphalt regularly, the high pressure water re-texturizes the roads, cleaning away all dirt and debris and making the road safer to drive on.   It cleans without damage Hydroblasting is the safest form of industrial cleaning, using only water pressure to efficiently and carefully clean surfaces.  Even with the 40,00 PSI that our hydroblast units can deliver, no damage is caused to the surface that is being cleaned as only water is used, with no other additives, unlike other industrial cleaning methods.   It can extend the life of your paint job For large scale paint jobs, you don’t want to have to re-do them every few years.  One important factor in increasing the lifespan of your paint is to prepare the surface correctly.  By using hydroblasting to remove all dirt, grease and even air pollution from the surface to be painted, this can give the best preparation to the surface and ensure that the paint lasts years before it needs to be redone. These are just some of the many ways that hydroblasting can help with your cleaning or restoration project. THB are national leaders in hydroblasting and with many depots across the UK we offer an efficient call out facility as well as a 24/7 emergency service.  Contact us now for your next project.

What is road resurfacing? The lifespan of a road depends on a variety of factors.  Anything from the material used, to how busy the road is, can affect and reduce the quality of the surface and lead to damage. Resurfacing is a simple maintenance technique in which a new layer of material is laid over the existing surface instead of replacing the entire road.   By resurfacing roads and other high traffic areas when damage starts, you can extend the life of the road and ensure that it remains as safe as possible to drive on. Resurfacing can be used to refresh any road surface, regardless of what material it was originally constructed from.  Footpaths, driveways, car parks and carriageways can all benefit from periodic maintenance and resurfacing to ensure they are as safe as possible and are kept to the highest standards. Resurfacing is also cheaper and faster than replacing the entire road.  In high traffic and important areas, it is difficult to find the time and money to replace the entire surface, leading to roads that have long passed their use by date damaging vehicles and costing thousands.  With regular maintenance and periodic resurfacing, you can extend the expected duration of roads, footpaths and car parks by decades, saving money and time. New driveways constructed from paving should last at least 20 to 25 years, some even longer, however they are often prone to damage from weather or tree roots from surrounding gardens.  THB can resurface both domestic and commercial driveways and extend their average lifespan by years, while ensuring they are as safe as possible to drive on to protect your vehicles and your family. Bitumen and asphalt roads in standard traffic areas can last 20 years or more, barring the occasional pothole, before they need resurfacing. THB can repair any surface damage to the road and resurface it, which can often double or triple the life of the road before it is necessary to replace it completely. Carriageways and bus lanes suffer from heavy traffic and need to be maintained constantly.  As well as ensuring that any needed repairs are carried out, by resurfacing these roads every 10 to 15 years the lifespan of these heavily trafficked areas can last decades beyond their projected life expectancy.  Periodic resurfacing also ensures that any rubber or oil on the road is also removed as part of the process, ensuring that the road itself is safer to drive on and helping prevent accidents on these high traffic areas. THB are conversant with all cycle, pedestrian and environmental regulations and our Civils teams hold all health and safety accreditations that allow us to work on all sites, roads and highways. Our operatives all hold CSCS cards and are trained to the industry highest standards (NVQ), including traffic management and First Aid. Our team work around the clock and outside of regular hours to ensure that there is no interruption to your business/ working day. For a free quote call us now on 0800 0146 420.