A blocked bath or shower leaves you standing in dirty water. Hair and soap scum are the usual cause, because they bind into a plug in the trap. Shower trays have small pipes, so they clog easily. Since the pipe is narrow, a little hair goes a long way.
The blockage often sits just below the plughole. A hair catcher can stop much of it, and it costs little. Clear the catcher after each use to keep water moving. This habit works because hair never reaches the pipe.
Engineers use thin drain snakes to reach the bends in bath and shower pipes. They may also use a small jet to clean the pipe wall. If other fixtures drain slowly too, the blockage may sit in a shared pipe. However, a blockage close to the plughole is the simplest case.
Price depends on how easy it is to reach the trap. A shower tray with tight access can take more time than a bath. However, a blockage deep in the pipe can take longer than either. Ask for a written quote before work starts, and ask whether a call-out charge applies.
Fit a hair catcher over the plughole and clear it after each use. Flush the drain with hot water now and then. This stops hair and soap from building up. It works because the build-up starts small.
Usually it is. A partial blockage in the trap or waste pipe slows the flow. Rarely, poor venting causes it, so an engineer may check for both. Ask what they checked, because it helps if the problem returns.
It can, if the bath shares a waste pipe with a basin or toilet. A blockage in the shared part slows them all. If several fixtures drain badly, the fault is probably further along the pipe. Tell the engineer which ones are slow, since that narrows the search.
This page sits under blocked drains, which covers the wider picture. For local details, see the pages for blocked drains in Saltash and blocked drains in Plympton, since each town has its own page. You can also read 7 Warning Signs You Have a Blocked Drain for a wider guide.