Drainage services across Staffordshire

South Staffordshire divides sharply for drainage. The coalfield towns — Cannock, Hednesford, Rugeley — sit on ground worked until the 1990s, and movement over old workings continues long after the pits close. North and west of them the ground is sandstone and pebble beds, free-draining enough that soakaways work and that fine material washes out of any open joint. The villages beyond the towns are frequently on septic tanks rather than a public sewer.