Septic tank, cesspit and treatment plant emptying in Pembrokeshire

Where are the Pembrokeshire firms based?

Pro Waste, West Wales Waste and Drainforce all say they empty septic tanks and cesspits around Pembrokeshire, and all three are based south of the Cleddau. North Pembrokeshire has no listed firm with a base of its own.

Pro Waste works from The Haven at Wooden, near Saundersfoot. Its FAQ claims the whole county and nearby parts of West Wales, it has its own pages for ten towns, and it empties sewage treatment plants as part of the same service. West Wales Waste has its office in the former naval dockyard at Pembroke Dock and states that it covers all of Pembrokeshire. Drainforce has a Pembrokeshire office at Hazel Brook Garage, Sageston, with a head office at Bridgend, and lists South and West Wales as its area.

Which towns does each firm name?

Two firms say they cover the whole county, so the table shows the towns each one names on its website. The postcode districts help you match a village to the nearest town.

From Wooden to Fishguard is a long drive for a tanker, so north county owners should ask whether a firm runs a regular round there or charges for the extra miles. For Tenby, Penally and Manorbier, the Tenby tank services page has more on holiday lets and the summer rush. You can send a quote request from this page or phone a firm direct.

Do the Welsh rules change how often a tank is emptied?

Yes. Natural Resources Wales tells owners to have a septic tank emptied at intervals of 12 to 24 months, using a registered contractor, and to keep the records for five years. England's rules ask for at least once a year. Our septic tank regulations guide sets out the rules in each nation.

NRW also says most small treatment plants need professional servicing every 12 months and more detailed checks every six months, so an empty alone does not keep a plant in order. A cesspit has no outlet at all and needs a tanker whenever it is nearly full. Pro Waste offers annual reminders and regular yearly visits. West Wales Waste asks for the size of the tank when you book so it brings the right vehicle, and its own advice is that a septic tank be emptied every six to twelve months. Pro Waste also runs a mini vacuum tanker for narrow lanes, tracks and drives. How a septic tank works shows why the sludge must be removed, while septic tank emptying prices sets out what affects a quote. Do not open the tank or reach into it yourself, because the gas inside can overcome you.

Do you need to register with Natural Resources Wales?

Most Pembrokeshire septic tanks and small treatment plants need a one-off registration with NRW, which is free in most cases. Wales does not use England's general binding rules.

NRW's registration page sets the conditions for a free registration. The sewage must be domestic only. A drainage field may take less than 2,000 litres each day, and an outlet to a stream or ditch less than 5,000 litres daily. The house must be 30 metres or more from a public foul sewer. A drainage field cannot sit closer than 50 metres to an SAC (Special Area of Conservation), inside ancient woodland or inside source protection zone 1 for groundwater, and an outlet to a stream or ditch cannot sit closer than 500 metres to an SAC. Outside those limits you apply to NRW for a permit instead.

The Cleddau rivers and the Haven

Those distances bite hard in Pembrokeshire. The Afonydd Cleddau, the Western and Eastern Cleddau rivers, are an SAC of about 752 hectares, protected for brook and river lamprey, bullhead and otter. Downstream, the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation takes in the Daugleddau estuary, Milford Haven and the coast, and holds the largest breeding colony of grey seals on the west coast south of the Solway. Waterside villages such as Lawrenny and Landshipping sit right beside it, so a new or moved outlet there needs checking with NRW before work starts.

Phosphates and new building in the Cleddau catchment

Pembrokeshire County Council's phosphates guidance, revised on 29 July 2026, says the Cleddau and the Teifi are failing the phosphate targets NRW published in January 2021. New homes, holiday accommodation and some changes of use in those catchments need an assessment. A new private system that drains to a drainage field can be screened out only if it meets British Standard BS 6297, discharges under 2 cubic metres a day, has its drainage field more than 40 metres from any river, stream, ditch or drain and more than 50 metres from an SAC boundary, and sits at least 200 metres from any other known discharge to ground. A percolation test is now required with these applications.

The council's guidance is about new development. It does not deal with emptying an existing tank, so a routine empty is not affected.

Who approves a new or replacement system?

Within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, planning decisions belong to the Park Authority. Pembrokeshire County Council handles planning in the rest of the county, and it runs building control and sustainable drainage approval everywhere, including inside the park.

Any new tank or plant has to pass building control, and needs planning permission where the work calls for it. Of the listed firms, West Wales Waste installs septic tanks and services and repairs plants, and Drainforce offers inspections and repairs. Our page on sewage treatment plant installation helps with choosing one. If the garden stays wet after an empty, look at the drainage field next.

Treatment plants in Pembrokeshire

Many Pembrokeshire searches are about treatment plant emptying, not only septic tanks. Pro Waste empties sewage treatment plants. West Wales Waste services and repairs them, and its list of commercial work includes pump stations. A plant needs servicing on a schedule, not only desludging: see treatment plant servicing. If yours is a sealed tank, see cesspit emptying and what a cesspit empty costs.

Listed contractors in Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire firms that empty tanks

Each card gives the firm's base and what its listing covers.

Sources

Each listing was checked against the business's own website on 9 November 2026. Official pages were opened the same day.

• Pro Waste, company website and FAQ
• Pro Waste: drain and tank services, Tenby
• West Wales Waste: septic tank and cesspit emptying
• Drainforce: cesspit and septic tank emptying
• NRW guidance: registering a tank or package plant
• NRW guidance: running and maintaining a private system
• JNCC: Afonydd Cleddau / Cleddau Rivers Special Area of Conservation
• JNCC: Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation
• Pembrokeshire County Council: phosphates guidance (revised 29 July 2026)
• Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority: building control

Nearby areas

Tank services in Tenby. Across the UK: treatment plant servicing, septic tank emptying, and the full list of mapped areas.