Persuading Virgin to dig up my drive!

chardir

I currently have ADSL broadband but since my house is about 5 miles from the exchange I can't get more than 1Mb. I'd like to switch to Virgin but when I tried them they said they couldn't connect my house because the only access to the road is via a tarmac drive which they won't be able to run the cable up.

Has anyone else experienced this issue? I assume I don't have any right to a cable connection. Maybe I could agree to cover the cost but I'm guessing that might be expensive. Any advice appreciated!

withabix

I'm afraid you will have to make do with your current service or pay for the ducting work yourself.

PsiDOC

Why not run the cable to the end of your property yourself? Has been done in the past.

Psi

asbokid

chardir wrote: »

I currently have ADSL broadband but since my house is about 5 miles from the exchange I can't get more than 1Mb. I'd like to switch to Virgin but when I tried them they said they couldn't connect my house because the only access to the road is via a tarmac drive which they won't be able to run the cable up.

Has anyone else experienced this issue? I assume I don't have any right to a cable connection. Maybe I could agree to cover the cost but I'm guessing that might be expensive. Any advice appreciated!

copy how it's done in the public highway... by the people who re-wire street lights and fit the induction coils in the road for traffic sensing, etc..

buy a 12" angle grinder from netto.. (£20) and some diamond cutting blades (£5)

use the grinder to cut a tidy channel in the tarmac drive all the way from the street boundary to your house..

drill an entry hole above the damp course membrane into the house..

drop some cheap polypropylene water pipe into the channel to serve as a conduit. feed some rope through the pipe so that the cable can be drawn through..

back fill the channel with hot bitumen..

total cost £50..