FAQs
What areas do you cover for delivery?
We generally cover most of Northamptonshire, plus a few lucky areas just outside the county. See here for more information. If you are outside our area then please contact us to see if we can cover your area, however there may be an additional charge.
Is delivery free?
Yes, for all orders over £50 delivery is free to the areas covered.
Can I collect aggregates and other products from JW Clark Ltd?
Yes you can, the online shop is generally set up for delivered items only at present, but contact us to collect items, or just pop in to our Drive In & Collect yard. We are at Chowns Mill Business Park, Irthlingborough, Northants, NN9 5QQ. Prices for collection are lower than for those delivered. Please contact us for prices.
How much aggregate do i need?
See here for how much decorative aggregate you need. For non-decorative aggregates, use our online calculator to work out how much you need. Make sure you click on which type of aggregate you need under 'Material To Be Delivered', then enter your dimensions. If entering your X and Y dimensions in metres for the width and length of your area, you'll have to enter the thickness into Z in metres too, so for example 50mm thick will be 0.05 and 100mm will be 0.1. Please feel free to contact us if you get stuck on working out your quantities!
If I order too much, can I ask for it to be collected and receive a refund?
Full jumbo bags can normally be collected, yes. Please click to see our Refund Policy
What if a product is showing as ‘Out of stock’ on the site?
It most likely is out of stock, but it may be an error or may not have been updated, so feel free to contact us. And in any case, we may be holding off ordering stock due to low demand for certain products, but we can always get stock in if you request it.
How much aggregate can be delivered at a time?
On one lorry we can bring up to 19 tonnes, but of course if you need more we’ll make multiple trips or send more than one lorry
Can I order ‘muck away’ or for materials to be removed, from the Online Shop?
Yes of course, see here!
How much aggregate is in a jumbo bag?
All of our jumbo bags weigh a minimum of 800kg, apart from topsoil. As topsoil is light, we won’t normally get 800kg in a jumbo bag, it would be spilling out and over the top. So with topsoil only, we put a sensible amount in, normally filling the bag about 80-90%
Why don’t Jumbo Bags carry a full tonne?
Many years ago they did, and a lot of people still call them ‘Tonne Bags’, but the industry standard now is 800kg. We don’t know of any merchants who still put a tonne in a jumbo bag. Also, when we are delivering them, 1 tonne is a huge weight to be lifting on and off a lorry with a HIAB, and anything more than 800kg restricts us significantly when it comes to how far we can reach with the crane etc.
Can I return empty Jumbo Bags to JW Clark Ltd?
No, sorry. Our Jumbo Bags are for single use only as far as lifting 800kg of material in them. However they can come in really handy for other uses, a few ideas:
Use them to drag around the garden and put garden waste in
Use them to ‘store’ a tidy compost heap. Top tip - put a few twigs in the bottom first to aid drainage and aeration, and then put compost-able material on top.
Use them for raised beds to grow vegetables etc. Of course they’re strong enough to hold topsoil, and if you want to reduce the volume needed to fill them, simply cut the top half off the bag
Cut them up and use as a poor-man’s membrane underneath gravel areas - but of course proper membrane is better…!
Use them to have a sack race - honestly, a local scouts’ group did this for a charity event, we supplied the bags to them
Use them for sledging in the winter! Of course JWC cannot be responsible for the safety of children travelling at high speed downhill in our jumbo bags, in the snow….
If you don’t have any use for them yourself, somebody else will likely have! Try putting them on Freecycle or Facebook, somebody will likely have them off you.
Are Jumbo Bags recyclable?
We are told by the manufacturers that they are 100% recyclable, and that most council tips are familiar with them and tend to take them, no problems. As for putting them in your recyclable waste at home, we are told that they can normally go into your bin at home, but of course different councils have different rules and so we cannot advise any further than that.
How far can the crane reach, to offload jumbo bags?
Generally 6 metres from the side of the lorry. Sometimes a bit more and even up to 8 metres, but dependent on many factors including the particular lorry that is bringing it, the angle the lorry will be sitting at, overhead obstacles and a dozen other things. But assume 6 metres to be safe.
Can I request an exact time for delivery?
Our delivery slots are generally AM or PM. AM is 07:30-12:00 and PM is 12:00 to 17:00. You can put extra detail into the comments box at checkout such as ‘ideally before 10am’ and we’ll always do our best. Or feel free to contact us on the day for a more accurate delivery time.
Do I have to be present for my delivery?
Not necessarily, no. When our driver gets to site, he will expect to deliver the aggregate or the bulk bags onto private property. Bear in mind that he cannot take his lorry onto private property without prior permission and so will drop the material from the Highway, and in the absence of any specific instructions he will make his own judgement as to the best place to put the material. Always try and be as specific as possible with the delivery instructions please, the more information we have the better!
Can the lorry drive onto my property to deliver the product exactly where I need it?
He can…. But we don’t recommend our lorries driving onto private driveways etc. Our lorries can weigh up to 32 tonnes when fully loaded, and most private driveways aren't designed to take this weight. But if you give your permission, then we can do so, but it will always be strictly at the customer’s risk.
Can Jumbo Bags be lifted over a fence or a wall?
Yes of course! As long as we can get within a couple of metres of the fence or wall, and remember that our driver needs to get to the other side of the fence or wall to be able to detatch the bags from the crane, so make access is left open for us!
How much notice do I need to give for delivery?
We can usually deliver next day, but during peak periods we may sometimes struggle. Sometimes we can even deliver on the same day. The cut-off point for AM delivery is usually 12:00PM the day before.
Is it possible to deliver at the weekend?
Not usually, no. But feel free to ask. For any aggregates needed on a weekend, why not ask for a Friday PM delivery.