Overview
NDTScan has completed concrete scanning, ultrasonic testing and compressive strength surveys at sites across England, Wales and Scotland. Our base in Oxfordshire means we reach most Thames Valley and South East locations within hours, and our work takes us nationwide. The areas below are the ones we serve most often. If your location is not listed, contact us directly.
Buckinghamshire
Milton Keynes, Aylesbury, High Wycombe, the Chiltern towns and the villages between them.
All Buckinghamshire towns High Wycombe Marlow Milton Keynes Aylesbury Amersham Beaconsfield
Berkshire
The M4 corridor and the Thames towns, where post-tensioned 1980s and 1990s office floors keep pre-drill scanning in constant demand.
All Berkshire towns Reading Slough Maidenhead Bracknell Windsor Newbury Wokingham
Oxfordshire
Home ground. University, hospital and science campus estates, market towns and the fastest growing new housing in the region.
All Oxfordshire towns Oxford Henley-on-Thames Banbury Bicester Abingdon Didcot Witney
London
Basement construction surveys, post-tensioned slab scanning in office cores and reinforcement mapping for structural openings across Greater London.
The Midlands
Regular attendance in Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Leicester, Nottingham and Derby: NHS estates, heritage alterations and RAAC identification on local authority housing.
South Coast and South West
Marine infrastructure at Southampton docks, university buildings in Portsmouth, historic concrete in Bristol, infrastructure renewal in Exeter and Plymouth.
East of England and Cambridge
University estate and science park work in Cambridge, including pre-drill scanning in Grade II listed buildings, plus industrial pre-anchor surveys in Peterborough.
The North, Scotland and Wales
Nationwide attendance for structural condition surveys, RAAC identification and compressive strength assessment where a named specialist is required.
RAAC Surveys by Region and Nation
RAAC identification and condition assessment is covered separately, town by town, across the whole of the UK. Start from the RAAC surveys page or go straight to your region.
England
Every region, from the schools and hospitals on the published RAAC lists to the council, housing and commercial stock that nobody has counted.
South East London East of England South West West Midlands East Midlands Yorkshire and the Humber North West North East
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Attended from Oxford whenever the work demands it, with the same plank by plank method and the same reporting.
Steel and marine structures
Ultrasonic thickness testing and corrosion mapping of tanks, pipework, sheet piles, jetties and hulls, from a boat or from land, at every port and harbour in the UK.
Marine surveys, port by port Ultrasonic thickness and corrosion mapping
Recent Work by Region
Thames Valley and Home Counties
Pre-drill GPR across the office stock
The greatest concentration of our work sits across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Hertfordshire. We carry out a high volume of pre-drill GPR surveys on commercial office refurbishments in Reading, Slough, Maidenhead and Bracknell, where post-tensioned concrete floors are common in 1980s and 1990s stock. In High Wycombe we have completed rebar mapping surveys on multi-storey car parks undergoing structural assessments prior to cladding replacement. At sites in Aylesbury, Thame and Amersham we attend residential developments where slab reinforcement surveys are required ahead of core drilling. In Henley-on-Thames and Marlow we have completed pre-drill scanning at riverside commercial properties where slab documentation was unavailable.
Slough and the M4 corridor
GPR concrete scanning at business parks
The dense concentration of commercial floorspace along the M4 corridor generates consistent demand for pre-drill scanning. We have completed surveys at business parks in Slough, Langley and Cippenham using GSSI SIR 4000 and Mala GPR systems, producing AutoCAD-compatible rebar maps for structural engineers and fit-out contractors.
Buckinghamshire
Ultrasonic pulse velocity testing
We have used the Proceq Pundit PL-200 to carry out ultrasonic pulse velocity testing at several sites across Buckinghamshire, including a pre-war reinforced concrete water tower in Princes Risborough and a 1960s school building in Milton Keynes where compressive strength estimation was required as part of a structural condition survey.
Westminster
GPR scanning and post-tensioned cable detection
We completed a GPR concrete scanning survey at a residential property in Westminster ahead of a basement lowering programme. The survey required identification of post-tensioned cables in existing ground floor slabs and mapping of service penetrations to inform the demolition sequence. The interpreted report followed within an agreed number of working days.
Southwark
Compressive strength testing
At a mixed-use development in Southwark, we completed a combined rebound hammer and SONREB compressive strength assessment on existing reinforced concrete columns, tested to BS EN 13791. The survey provided the structural engineer with confidence in the existing frame capacity ahead of a two-storey extension.
Birmingham and Coventry
RAAC identification surveys
We have completed RAAC identification surveys at a number of sites in Birmingham and Coventry using GPR to distinguish RAAC planks from standard reinforced concrete elements. GPR profiles through RAAC display a characteristic low-amplitude, diffuse return pattern. Results are reported with photographic evidence and annotated scan data.
Chester
Compressive strength testing at a Chester hotel
We carried out a combined rebound hammer and UPV compressive strength assessment at a managed commercial property in Chester ahead of a change-of-use application. Testing covered ground floor columns and first floor flat slab construction, reported to BS EN 13791, with results delivered within an agreed number of working days.
Southampton docks
Ultrasonic thickness survey
We completed an ultrasonic thickness survey on reinforced concrete jetty soffit panels at a commercial berth in Southampton using the Olympus 38DL Plus. Access was by boat-mounted platform at low water. Results identified localised thinning consistent with chloride-induced reinforcement corrosion, allowing the asset owner to prioritise repairs.
NDTScan is a Level 4 UKCSS Operator, the first in the UK to achieve that certification. Every survey is carried out and interpreted by a named specialist and reported to a standard suitable for engineering acceptance.
Every survey, wherever it is, is carried out and interpreted by a named specialist and reported to a standard suitable for engineering acceptance, building control and dispute work.
Where a repair is being considered, the same rule applies in every county: scan first, interpret properly, then design.
Scan before you repair. That is the standing advice for every UK client, and the reason NDTScan reports what the concrete contains before anyone specifies what to do about it.
Services Available Nationwide
- GPR Concrete Scanning Pre-drill and pre-coring surveys, rebar and mesh mapping, post-tensioned tendon detection, void detection, slab thickness and cover estimation and RAAC identification, anywhere in the UK.
- Ultrasonic Testing of Concrete Ultrasonic pulse velocity, pulse echo and SONREB for uniformity, thickness, delamination and compressive strength estimation where GPR alone cannot answer the question.
- Concrete Compressive Strength Assessment Rebound hammer, UPV combined method and managed core extraction to BS EN 13791, with independent reporting for engineering acceptance and building control.
How Our Coverage Is Organised
Coverage is organised by county for Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire and by city for the rest of the country. Each area sets out the local building stock, the surveys we are most often instructed for there and the questions clients ask before booking.
About NDTScan
NDTScan is a specialist non-destructive testing company based in Oxford and led by Neil Smuts. Its core disciplines are GPR concrete scanning, ultrasonic testing and in-situ compressive strength assessment, brought together in its concrete scanning and structural condition survey service. NDTScan is a Level 4 UKCSS Operator, the first in the UK to achieve that certification.
Where NDTScan Works
- Buckinghamshire Milton Keynes, Aylesbury, High Wycombe, the Chiltern towns and the villages between them.
- Berkshire Reading, Slough, Maidenhead, Bracknell, Windsor, Newbury and the whole M4 corridor, town by town.
- Oxfordshire Home ground. Oxford, Banbury, Bicester, Didcot, Witney, Abingdon and every settlement in between.
- London Basement surveys, post-tensioned slab scanning and reinforcement mapping across Greater London.
- Midlands, South Coast and South West Birmingham, Coventry, Southampton, Bristol and Swindon on a regular basis.
- Nationwide Cambridge, the North, Scotland and Wales for structural condition surveys, RAAC identification and strength assessment.
Our Services
- Concrete & Structural Integrity
- Drone-Based Aerial Surveying
- Vehicle-Mounted Inspection
- Handheld & Portable Inspection
- Underwater Surveying & Inspection
- Digital Twin & 3D Modelling
- Advanced Data Analytics & Reporting
Sectors We Support
- Aerospace & Aviation
- Education & Public Sector
- Archaeology & Heritage
- Smart Cities & Urban Planning
- Waste & Recycling
- Defence & Security
- Emergency Response
- Construction & Real Estate
- Mining & Minerals
- Agriculture & Environment
- Maritime & Underwater
- Rail & Transportation
- Oil & Gas
- Civil Engineering
- Utilities & Energy
Equipment & Technologies
- IML
- GSSI
- Sylva
- Leica
- Voyis
- Testo
- Hilti
- Cygnus
- Proceq
- MALA GPR
- SlipAlert
- Flyability
- Protimeter
- Matterport
- Saab Seaeye
- Deep Trekker
- IDS GeoRadar
- FLIR Systems
- Sonatest Ltd
- Wagner Meters
- Mistras Group
- Munro Stanley
- Blue Robotics
- DJI Enterprise
- Teledyne Marine
- Quantum Systems
- Argus Electronic
- Fakopp Enterprise
- Eddyfi Technologies
- Olympus Corporation
- FARO
- NavVis
- Trimble
Why Choose NDTScan
Coverage FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions.
Common questions about where NDTScan works, how far we travel and how soon we can be on site.
How far does NDTScan travel for a concrete scanning survey?
Anywhere in the UK. Most of our work sits within 100 miles of our Oxford base, across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, London and the M4 corridor, but we regularly attend the Midlands, the South Coast, the South West, East Anglia and the North.
Can you attend at short notice?
For most Thames Valley and South East sites, yes. Short-notice attendance, usually within one to two working days and same day where the diary allows, is available for the majority of concrete scanning and NDT projects within reach of Oxford. Further afield we normally attend within a few days of instruction.
Which areas does NDTScan cover most often?
Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire from the Oxford base, then London, the M4 corridor, the Midlands, the South Coast and the South West. The county cards on this page cover the Thames Valley town by town; London, Birmingham, Coventry, Southampton, Bristol, Swindon and Cambridge are listed further down.
Who carries out the survey?
A named specialist, not a subcontractor. NDTScan is a Level 4 UKCSS Operator, the first in the UK to achieve that certification, and the person who scans your structure is the person who interprets the data and writes the report.
How do I book a survey for my location?
Call 02080 888 724 or email info@ndtscan.com with the site address, the type of structure and what you need to know. We will confirm the method, the attendance date and the reporting format before we mobilise.
Concrete scanning guides
The questions behind most enquiries
How to identify RAAC
What RAAC looks like, where it was used, and what a visual check cannot tell you.
Read the guideScanning before drilling or coring
What happens on the day, what the marks mean, and what the contractor receives.
Read the guidePost-tension detection
How tendons are investigated in a post-tensioned slab, and when the engineer decides.
Read the guideRebar scanning
Bar position, spacing and estimated cover, and what a scan cannot tell you.
Read the guideFerroscan surveys
What the Hilti system does well, and where radar takes over.
Read the guideConcrete x-ray
Why radiography is rarely practical on site, and what replaces it.
Read the guideWhat clients and partners say
In their words
I have worked with Neil on a number of projects and have found him to be extremely knowledgeable in the fields of concrete scanning and structural repair. His approach to the task is very structured and professional, and communication throughout the project is always open and honest. I will be working with Neil again in the future, and I would happily recommend him.
I had the pleasure of working with Neil on a complex project involving structural remediation, where his expertise was key to our success. Neil was professional, knowledgeable, and solution-focused throughout. He worked seamlessly with the client team and brought the right attitude to every challenge.
Neil is an expert in his field, with a high level understanding of concrete scanning techniques, concrete repairs, and the technology that suits. He shows a keen interest in innovation and is open to learning new methodologies. I would highly recommend Neil to those seeking his services.