This September, the technology changing how below-ground infrastructure is installed, repaired and renewed will be brought above ground at No Dig Live 2026.
From burst water mains and ageing sewers to new power cables and fibre networks, much of the infrastructure Britain depends on is hidden beneath its roads.
Taking place at NAEC Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, from 29 September to 1 October, No Dig Live will put the spotlight on an industry facing a deceptively simple challenge: how do you upgrade the infrastructure beneath our feet without continually digging up everything above it?
Across water, wastewater, energy and telecommunications, maintaining and expanding underground networks traditionally means excavation, road closures and disruption to businesses and communities. Trenchless technology offers another way.
Using specialist drilling, lining, inspection, mapping and rehabilitation technologies, engineers can increasingly install new infrastructure or repair existing networks while keeping excavation at the surface to a minimum.
At No Dig Live, visitors will be able to see many of these technologies in action.
Unlike a traditional exhibition, the event combines indoor displays with live outdoor demonstrations, giving visitors the opportunity to see specialist machinery and equipment operating in a working environment.
Technologies represented at the event will include horizontal directional drilling, pipeline rehabilitation, pipe bursting, inspection and detection systems, digital mapping and vacuum excavation, with solutions spanning water, wastewater, gas, electricity, telecommunications, and wider infrastructure.
Paul Harwood, Managing Director of Westrade Group, organisers of No Dig Live, said:
“Most people only really think about underground infrastructure when something goes wrong or when the road outside their home is being dug up, but beneath every town and city is a huge network of assets that we rely on every single day. The challenge is maintaining and expanding those networks while reducing disruption above ground. No Dig Live gives visitors the chance to see the technologies helping the industry do exactly that. It is a rare opportunity to see equipment working in real conditions and speak directly to the engineers, manufacturers and technology providers behind it.”
The event comes at a time of continued investment across the UK’s water, energy and telecommunications networks, placing greater emphasis on efficient, resilient and lower-impact infrastructure delivery.
No Dig Live will bring together manufacturers, contractors, utilities, consultants, asset owners and technology providers from across the underground infrastructure sector. The event is supported by the United Kingdom Society for Trenchless Technology.
No Dig Live 2026 takes place from Tuesday 29 September to Thursday 1 October 2026 at NAEC Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, Warwickshire.
For more information and to register, visit www.nodiglive.co.uk.
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