Advisory and Inspection Services is an independent body which gives advice and carries out consultations on land and construction materials.

The service undertakes ground investigations, highway assessments and sampling and testing of materials. It provides a complete service in most areas of work, ranging from basic project conception to compliance testing, through the construction stages and durability testing following completion.

The service can be split into four main disciplines:

• geo-environmental services
• materials engineering and testing
• closed landfill management
• carriageway assessment

You can read more about the services below.

Advisory and Inspection Services is part of Middlesbrough Council's Environment Department and is managed within the Transport and Design Services team. Advisory and Inspection Services are provided under a lead authority arrangement in partnership with the councils of Stockton-on-Tees, Hartlepool, and Redcar & Cleveland. Clients include other local authorities, consultants and contractors, predominantly in the North of England.

As part of an independent service, staff can provide an intelligent client role in any of the above disciplines, especially in conjunction with outsource works. They can advise clients how to safely and economically deal with the implications of test and ground investigation data on their project, carry out technical reviews of external reports, and advise on future investigations.

Approval lists

• Tees Valley sector scheme asphalt approval list - June 2021 (PDF)
• Notice regarding withdrawal of NHSS14 Sector Scheme - January 2017 (PDF)
• Tees Valley Recycled Aggregates approval list - July 2021 (PDF)

Contact

If you need further assistance or advice, please contact:

Advisory and Inspection Services
Phone: 01642 239070 (switchboard)
Address: c/o Tees Valley Measurement, Cannon Street, Middlesbrough, TS1 5JJ

Services

Geotechnical and environmental surveys

Services include:

• Phase 1 Desk and Environmental Studies
• Part IIA Investigations and SPOSH Assessments
• Planning (PPS23) related reviews and advice regarding land contamination submissions
• Planning, commissioning and supervising Intrusive Ground Investigations, Remediation and Validation
• Advice on foundation design
• Site instrumentation and monitoring of pore water pressure, ground movement, slope stability, soakaways etc.
• Engineering Geology: materials logging to Eurocode 7 (BS5930:1999 as amended)
• Ground gas risk assessments
• Subsidence monitoring, assessment & advice
• Ground related distress of buildings
• Ground water deficit detection and advice
• Invasive species identification and advice
• Conceptual models, risk assessments and geotechnical designs
• 1st tier assessment of ground contamination
• Generic and detailed quantitative risk assessments using CLEA 1.06 Model
• Statistical analysis (using ESI Statistical Calculator)
• Hydrogeological and Controlled Waters advice
• Options appraisal and Phase 3 Remediation strategies
• Validation of external ground investigations
• Topographical surveys/spot height surveys

Materials engineering and testing

Services include:

• UKAS-accredited materials testing
• UKAS-accredited aggregate testing
• Recycled materials advice
• Bituminous, aggregate and concrete materials advisory service
• Specification formulation and checking

Closed landfill management

Services include:

• Gas monitoring of sites
• Extraction field balancing
• Gas burner monitoring and control
• Ground water monitoring and testing
• Leachate sampling and testing

Carriageway assessment

Services include:

• Visual surveys
• Coring surveys
• Surface friction surveys
• Highway design