Operated plant hire
Digger and driver hire in Southport
A digger with someone who knows how to drive it. From a 1 tonne micro digger for a back garden up to 25 tonne excavators for building sites, plus telehandlers. Every machine comes with a CPCS or NPORS ticketed driver.
Man and digger, without the hassle
With digger and driver hire, the machine turns up with an experienced driver. You tell them what needs digging, they dig it, to the right depth and in a fraction of the time. They know how close to go to a wall, where the spoil should go, and when to stop near a pipe.
The machine, the driver and the know-how in one booking.
From £350 a day for a machine and driver, plus fuel and delivery. Day hire, no half days.
Ticketed drivers, every time
Every driver holds a CPCS or NPORS card, the UK cards that prove an operator is trained and tested on that type of machine. Building sites ask for them before anyone climbs on a machine.
We keep copies of every operator's card on file, ready for your site induction.
Machines from 1 tonne to 25 tonnes
A guide to which size suits which job. Tell us the job and the access, and we will send the right machine.
1 tonne
Micro digger
Small enough for many side gates and back gardens. Garden levelling, small trenches, pond holes, shed and garden room bases.
1.5 to 3 tonne
Mini digger
The usual "man and digger" machine. Extension footings, drainage trenches, driveway digs, breaking out old concrete, garden clearance.
5 to 8 tonne
Midi digger
More reach and a bigger bucket for bigger plots. Deeper drains, septic tank and treatment plant holes, loading lorries, small site clearance.
13 to 25 tonne
Excavator
Building sites and big plots. Bulk digging, site strips, deep drainage, foundations for new builds, loading out muck, commercial sites.
Telehandler
Telehandler
A forklift with a long arm that reaches up and forward. Lifts pallets of blocks and bricks onto scaffold, moves materials round site, loads and unloads.
Attachments for every job
We can supply the full range of attachments. These are the ones people ask for most, by machine.
Every digger
- Digging buckets in different widths, from a narrow trenching bucket for pipes to a wide one for bulk digging
- Ditching bucket: a wide bucket with a flat edge for levelling, grading and shaping ground
- Tilt bucket: tilts left and right to cut slopes and banks
Micro and mini diggers
- Hydraulic breaker for breaking out concrete, tarmac and old footings
- Auger: a big drill for fence post holes, tree planting and small piles
- Riddle bucket: a sieve bucket that shakes out stones and rubble and keeps the soil
- Land rake for clearing stones and roots before a new lawn
- Ripper tooth for hard ground and tree roots
- Small grab for logs, rubble and garden waste
5 tonne and up
- Bigger breakers for reinforced concrete and rock
- Selector grab: a rotating claw for sorting demolition waste and lifting kerbs, logs and pipes
- Compaction plate: a vibrating plate on the arm that firms down trenches and stone
- Pulveriser: jaws that crush concrete and pull out the steel bars
- Rock bucket and ripper for hard digging
Telehandlers
- Pallet forks for blocks, bricks and bags
- Block grab for lifting packs of bricks, blocks, kerbs and paving off the lorry
- Bucket for loading and moving stone, soil and sand
- Lifting jib and hook
- Muck grab and sweeper bucket for clearing up
Dumpers, half a tonne to 9 tonnes
Add a dumper to move the muck while the digger keeps digging.
Half tonne
Tracked high tip dumper
Such as the JCB HTD-5. About 70 cm wide, so it fits through a standard doorway or garden gate, and tips straight into a skip.
1 to 6 tonne
Site dumpers
For moving muck, stone and concrete round a building site or a big garden.
9 tonne
Cabbed dumper
The biggest site dumper, with an enclosed cab to protect the driver. For bulk muck shifting on large sites.
Muck away sorted
We arrange the muck away in whichever way suits the job: one of our grab lorries, a roll on roll off skip (a big open skip a lorry winches on and off) or an 8 yard builder's skip. We are an Environment Agency upper-tier waste carrier.
What to tell us when you ring
- What the job is: footings, a drain, levelling a garden, lifting blocks
- The address, or at least the town and postcode
- The narrowest point the machine has to get through, if it is a garden
- Where you know the pipes and cables run
- How long you think it will take, and when you want to start
- Where the dug out soil is going: a pile on site, or away (we can arrange the muck away)
- Any attachments or a dumper you think you will need
For contractors and builders
A machine and a ticketed operator on your site for a day, a week or the length of the job. £10M public liability and RAMS supplied. We aim to get the machine and driver to you as soon as we can, on a date agreed with you.
Want the whole package dug for you instead? See commercial groundworks.
How digger and driver hire works
- 1
Tell us the job
Ring 01704 227671 or WhatsApp a photo. Say what needs digging or lifting, where, and how long you think it will take.
- 2
We pick the machine
We suggest the right size for the job and the access, so you are not paying for a big machine that cannot get in, or a small one that takes all week.
- 3
Price and date
We give you a price and a start date before anything is booked.
- 4
Machine and driver arrive
Your machine turns up with a CPCS or NPORS ticketed driver, ready to dig.
- 5
Job done
The driver works to your plan, and tells you straight away if something is not safe or not going to work.
Or we can do the whole job
We are groundworkers as well as plant hirers. If you would rather hand over the whole job, digging, drains, concrete and muck away, see site clearance, extension groundworks and drainage.
Questions people ask
How much does digger and driver hire cost?
A machine and driver starts from £350 a day, plus fuel and delivery. We hire by the day, with no half days. The price for your job depends on the size of machine it needs. Ring or WhatsApp us with the job and we will give you a price before anything is booked.
Do you do half day hire?
No. The shortest hire is one day.
What does "man and digger" mean?
It is the everyday name for hiring a digger with someone to drive it. The trade calls it operated plant hire. It is the same thing as digger and driver hire, or a mini digger with driver.
Why hire a digger with a driver?
An experienced driver digs it quickly, to the right depth and level. They know where to put the spoil, how close to dig to a wall or fence, and when to stop near a pipe or cable.
What is a CPCS or NPORS card?
They are the two main UK cards that prove a plant operator has been trained and tested on that type of machine. CPCS is the Construction Plant Competence Scheme and NPORS is the National Plant Operators Registration Scheme. Most building sites will not let anyone drive a machine without one. A red card means the operator is trained but still building up experience. A blue card means they have also passed an on-the-job assessment.
Which size of digger do I need?
For most gardens and extensions, a micro or mini digger (1 to 3 tonne). For bigger plots and septic tanks, a 5 to 8 tonne. For building sites, 13 tonne and up. Tell us the job and the access and we will tell you which one.
Will a digger fit through my side gate?
A 1 tonne micro digger fits through many side gates. Measure the narrowest point, including any bins, drainpipes or steps on the way, and tell us when you ring.
Will it damage my lawn or drive?
Mini diggers run on rubber tracks, which are much kinder than steel. On a soft lawn or a new drive we can talk about laying boards down first. A wet lawn will still mark, so the dry months are kinder to grass.
Do I need to know where the pipes and cables are?
Yes, as best you can. Tell us where you know the gas, water, drains and electric run. If you are not sure, say so before the job starts, so we can talk about how to find them before anyone digs.
Can you take the muck away?
Yes. We arrange it in whichever way suits the job: one of our grab lorries, a roll on roll off skip (a big open skip a lorry winches on and off) or an 8 yard builder's skip. We are an Environment Agency upper-tier waste carrier. Our grab lorries are not hired out on their own.
Which attachments can you supply?
The full range: buckets in every width, breakers, augers, riddle buckets, rakes, rippers, grabs, compaction plates and pulverisers for the diggers, and forks, block grabs, buckets and jibs for the telehandlers. Tell us the job and we will send the right ones.
Can you supply a dumper too?
Yes. From a half tonne tracked dumper that fits through a doorway up to a 9 tonne cabbed site dumper.
Do you work for contractors and builders?
Yes. Main contractors, developers, builders and landscapers hire our machines and drivers for a day, a week or the length of a job. We hold £10M public liability, supply RAMS (risk assessment and method statement) for the job, and agree the start date with you.
How far do you travel?
Up to 30 miles from our yard in Southport, and further for longer hires. That takes in Merseyside, West Lancashire, Wigan, Preston and Manchester.
Also worth a look
Need a digger and driver? Tell us the job
Phone lines open Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm, Saturday 8am to 1pm. WhatsApp photos of the job any time, we reply in office hours.