Vacuum excavation is becoming more popular as it offers a safer way to dig starter pits, avoiding damage to buried services and risk to staff. Hand dug starter pits have always been a part of the business but they probably represent the most dangerous part of the drillers daily work. Vacuum excavation removes soil, debris and exposes buried services without causing damage to those services or risk to operators. This is achieved by jetting water at high pressure to liquify the soil and dislodge gravel and fill material followed by sucking using the vacuum hose to remove the slurry and loose material. This makes hand digging to 1.5m an easier prospect. Our trailer mounted Vac-ex is towed behind a Land Rover and has a hydraulic tip to empty the tank.