Mini diggers are the most popular type of diggers hired out in the UK because they are so versatile and accessible yet also have great manoeuvrability and strength. It does not take special skills to use a mini digger; any one can quickly learn to use one. They can also be used for a wide variety of tasks. A micro digger is a smaller type of digger that can work well in tiny and tight spaces.

You have two choices when building a pond: do it all by hand or hire a mini digger and cut down your work considerably. Most people find the second option more appealing and with good reason.

The basics of building a pond lie in digging a hole and filling it with water. However as you know, there is a little more to it than that.

You should build a collar around the edge of the pond which will support the pond liner. This can be done after your mini digger has dug out the ground soil.

Before you start with the mini digger you need to mark out the boundaries of your pond. This sort of careful planning is vital to ensure that you know exactly where to dig with your excavator. You can mark out your trench boundaries with pegs or other markers. Once that is done you can start up the mini digger and start clearing a trench.

Once the trench is dug you need to consider bottom drains. You might opt to fill the trench up with concrete so the drain and liner are securely supported. This is generally preferable to digging a trench to fit pipes. It is possible to build a pond without a drain however this is not recommended as it will then need regular siphoning.

Remove all stones and other sharp objects before fitting the liner. You may choose to line the excavation with soft material such as carpeting just to provide a buffer between the rocks and the lining to ensure it does not pierce through.

A mini digger will easily fit down the side of your house to the proposed pond area. If you have a considerably smaller area then you may need to hire a micro digger which is just a more compact, smaller type of mini digger. Whichever type of digger you choose, the time spent digging the pond trench will not end up being the most difficult or time consuming part of building your pond. In fact it may well be the easiest and fastest part.