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Perforated land drain pipe

Updated: 23 October 2026

The lawn stays soft two days after rain, and the hose in the basket says perforated on the title. Perforated land drain pipe is slotted coil that lets groundwater in, then solid pipe that carries it to a ditch, a stream, or a soakaway you may use. A hose with no holes holds water instead. The [drainage pipe comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/drainage-pipe) records that review conflict with the other listings. If you have not separated rain, foul water, and groundwater, start with the [drainage pipe buying guide](/hub/diy-supplies/drainage-pipe/sub/drainage-pipe-buying-guide). Merchant guides, the RHS, Naylor's coil notes, and the amazon.co.uk listings were checked on 21 October 2026. A purchase from the main comparison can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

The lawn stays soft two days after rain, and the hose in the basket says perforated on the title.

Our top picks

B2C B2C 32 mm pond hose

Best overall

B2C B2C 32 mm pond hose
9.2/10about £14.29
View offer
eco-filtration eco-filtration 43 mm pipe

Best value

eco-filtration eco-filtration 43 mm pipe
8.4/10about £11.99
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DXPETA DXPETA 5 m drain hose

Alternative

DXPETA DXPETA 5 m drain hose
5.0/10about £7.16
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Perforated pipe collects, solid pipe carries
  2. 2.What is actually in this comparison
  3. 3.Depth and fall are not one number
  4. 4.Outfall and when to stop

Perforated pipe collects, solid pipe carries

A perforated land drain is a pipe with slots or holes so water in the surrounding stone can enter. A solid land drain, sometimes called a carrier, has no slots. It moves water that has already been collected to the outfall. If you lay slotted pipe all the way to a soakaway, you can lose water back into the ground before you meant to. If you lay solid pipe through the wet part of the lawn, the lawn stays wet, because nothing can get in. Merchants sell both in the same coil family, often HDPE, and you choose by the job of that length. Geotextile around the stone, or a sock on the coil, stops silt filling the slots. A pipe you cannot find a slot in is not this product.

What is actually in this comparison

None of the eleven listings is a BS 4962 land-drain coil. There is no 25 m HDPE coil at 60 mm or 80 mm, perforated or solid. The row that looks like one is DXPETA, B0GXKS13XM, a 5 m white hose at £7.16. The title and the bullets say perforated. The star line is 2.5 from three reviews. The only UK review, from a verified purchase, says there are no holes and the pipe holds water along its length. A millimetre bore is not printed, and the included-components line says No. Do not bury that hose as land drain. The other flexible tube is the B2C pond hose, 4 m, 32 mm internal, £14.29, 4.6 from 358 reviews. It is solid corrugated PVC for a pond, water butt, or sump, with no slots. Under a lawn it is a duct, not a collector. Buy coil from a drainage merchant when you have seen the slots or the solid wall. Best drainage pipe only shows why the cheap hose is not the best value here.
B2C B2C 32 mm pond hose

Testsieger

B2C B2C 32 mm pond hose
9.2/10about £14.29
View offer

Depth and fall are not one number

The guides disagree, and this page will not average them into a false official depth. Drainfast says there is no single depth. Pick one design and follow it. A shallow trench can work on a small sandy lawn and fail in clay if the stone surround is missing. JDP's smaller-lawn case is a worked example, not a law: perforated coil in the wet area, solid pipe after that, a stone surround, and a fall you can set with a spirit level. If the guides still disagree, ask a contractor rather than splitting the difference.

Outfall and when to stop

A perfect trench with nowhere to go is a sump. The RHS says local byelaws usually prohibit sending garden drainage into sewers or storm drains, and points you at a ditch, a stream, or a soakaway. Do not assume the foul stack at the back of the house is available. GOV.WALES states that surface water must not go into a foul drain. A soakaway, on Eden District's building-control note, should not sit within 5 m of a building or a road, or within 2.5 m of a boundary. If the area to be drained is over 25 m², that note points at BRE Digest 365 or a full design, not a crate in a hole. Stop if you cannot place that outfall. Stop if the lawn is large, the soil is heavy clay, or the fall only works by crossing a neighbour's land. A merchant coil at 60 mm or 80 mm, perforated where it collects and solid where it carries, is the product this job is describing. It is not in the eleven ASINs.

Common questions

What is the difference between perforated and solid land drain?
Perforated coil has slots so groundwater can enter through the wall. Solid coil has none, and it carries water that is already in the pipe to the outfall. Use slotted pipe in the wet ground and solid pipe for the run to a ditch or soakaway. A hose with no holes does neither job.
What diameter do merchant guides suggest for a small lawn?
JDP's garden rule of thumb is about 60 mm coil for a smaller lawn and about 80 mm for a larger or wetter one. Naylor sells BS 4962 coil from about 60 mm to 160 mm. Try herringbone branches before you jump a size. Heavy clay may want a stone trench without a pipe. These are rules of thumb.
How deep should the trench be?
There is no single Building Regulations depth on this page. The RHS uses about 40–60 cm. Other merchant guides say about 450–600 mm, about 630 mm for one 80 mm example, or ideally 900 mm. Pick one design. Do not average them.
Which fall should I use when the guides disagree?
The RHS prints 1:40. Other guides print 1:100, 1:150, or at least 1:200. Use the fall that belongs to the design you chose, and set it so water actually moves. A steeper fall is not automatically better if it brings the pipe out of the ground before the outfall.
Can I use the £7.16 hose as land drain?
No. DXPETA's title says perforated. The only UK review says there are no holes and the pipe holds water along its length. The bore is not printed. That is not BS 4962 coil, and it will not collect groundwater through the wall.
How far from the house can a soakaway sit?
Eden District's note says not within 5 m of a building or a road, and not within 2.5 m of a boundary. An area over 25 m² points to BRE Digest 365 rather than a guessed hole. If you cannot meet those distances, do not dig.

Related pages

How to install a drainage pipe

Drainage pipe

Best drainage pipe for the job, not the star rating

Drainage pipe buying guide: job, size, and outfall

Solvent weld or push-fit waste pipe: 43 mm or 41 mm

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Listings captured 21 October 2026. Updated 22.10.2026.

  1. Approved Document H (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. BSI: BS EN 1401-1:2019+A1:2023 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. JDP: push-fit or solvent weld (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. JDP: fixing drainage in a lawn (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Naylor product guide (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Clark Drain: the A15 debate (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. Eden District: rainwater soakaway (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. GOV.WALES: drains and sewers (retrieved 22.10.2026)