Septic services in the Isles of Scilly & surrounding rural parishes
South West Water has only run the islands' water and sewerage since 1 April 2020, and its public sewerage network covers St Mary's and Tresco alone — on St Martin's, St Agnes and Bryher every property is on private drainage. Mainland firms serve the islands via the Penzance freight link, so plan work around sailing schedules and expect a mobilisation cost.
What we can arrange around the Isles of Scilly
Kernow Septic is a local guide and enquiry service — we put you in touch with firms covering the Isles of Scilly and handle the checking that comes first. How it works.
Emptying & servicing Most requested
Scheduled emptying and servicing for tanks and treatment plants near the Isles of Scilly.
Repairs
Backups, blockages and failed soakaways put right.
Treatment plant upgrades
Upgrades where a septic tank no longer meets the rules.
Nearby areas
The local picture around the Isles of Scilly
The islands are the last outcrop of the same granite batholith that forms Cornwall's moors, with thin sandy soils over hard rock — percolation is the design question for any soakaway here, and space for a compliant drainage field is scarce on small island plots. Uniquely for a coastline this popular, none of Scilly's beaches appears in the Environment Agency's register of designated bathing waters, so there is no EA bathing-water monitoring around private discharges. What a percolation test involves → · BGS geology viewer
Not sure if your system is compliant?
Since 2020 the Environment Agency's General Binding Rules ban septic tanks discharging straight to a watercourse. Run your setup through our free checker to see where you stand near the Isles of Scilly.
Run the free compliance check