"My back garden is split between a paved area running from the house
which then meets a lawned area which is surrounded by brickwork. The
paved area runs down to the lawn, although it is not a steep gradient.
Where the paved areas comes up against the brick work surrounding the
lawn, rain waste collects and doesn't drain away. I have heard that a
"soakaway" might help. If this is true, how deep should I make it, what
should I fill it with, should I replace the paving afterwards or leave
it open with the fill I put into it. the width of the paved area is
approx 20 feet.

Regards,

Kevin

You need a mini digger.

Dig trenches, fill with washed stone, then "land drain", then more
washed stone, then top with soil. You end up with lots of spare soil,
and you need to do lots of digging / shifting.

Rick
I dug simple soakaway trenches around three sides of my rectangular lawn
(badminton court) by hand. Backbreaking work which took a long time to
complete. We live in a relatively new home where about 20 inches down there
was a compacted layer or clay and stones which was hard as concrete but only
about 8/12 inches deep, but was a complete ******* to break through - now I
wish I'd used an SDS drill.
Once I'd broken through that it was v soft Essex clay which seemed to go on
for ever (probably does) so I stopped. Bought the cheapest hardcore I could
find which turned out to be an error as there was a lot of rubbish in the
mix which we had to remove.
According the literature what we've done is: too shallow, not graded and
even if it was not has a limited life as it silts up. Five years on no sign
of water problems of any kind.

If you want terrific information and advice on this and many other DIY
outdoor projects start at http://www.pavingexpert.com/home.htm simply the
best DIY site I have ever come across.

Hope you find this of some use.
Phil