SP - I cut my neighbours mains cable!!

molerat

I would like to know how you are still here to complain about it

undaunted

Premier wrote: »

You damaged SP property; you will probably be billed for the repair.


As to the original installation method used, you should perhaps ask the surveyor you used to inspect the property before you purchased it as to why this was not pointed out.


(SP may well not be prepared, based on your description, to simply repair the damage you caused to their power lines, but want a totally revised installation. I suggest you seek legal/specialist advice over this as to how the costs should be apportioned)

Paragraphs 1 & 2 seem fair enough to me. Para' 3 however seems like nonsense to me - if they were to want a new installation they will have to fit and pay for it. Poster can't reasonably be expected to pay for anything more than a repair of what was damaged by them.

As suggested above a look at whether you have accidental damage cover / can get it past your insurer as such may be worth an enquiry

Gurn_2

They wont bill you for it at all.

rgwhunter

Just recieved my bill from SP for the damage i caused - £1800!!!

That was the first blow this morning, the 2nd... insurance

Phoned RBS insurance, not covered as i dont have buildings accidental cover. Pipes and cables are only covered if they are underground and not in my loft??

Going to go to citizens advice this morning and see what they recommend :-(

Invoice :

Min call out 4 hours @ 140 + VAT
travel time 2 hours @ 140 + VAT
43 meters new cable £410.65 + VAT

removal of scrap IEEE waste disposal £42.50 + VAT - despite the old cable still lying in my loft

15 cable clips £6.75 +VAT
cable gland £62.60 +VAT
100A fuse 4 @ 2.87 +VAT
Test certificate 124.68 +VAT


total £1798.39

spiro

I would argue that the cable was dangerous on the grounds that it looked like a copper pipe (from your description) which you thought was no longer in use and therefore cut through it.

You might also want to speak to the local HSE office and explain what happened as they may deem it an 'unsafe installation' which should not have been there without clear warning labels.

Enterprise_1701C

I am surprised they can get away with charging travel time!

Also, I would question the price of the cable (though not knowing exactly what grade it is) - I would think nearly £10 a metre is rather excessive, considering they must pay far less than that! I would have thought £6 to £8 max per metre. Also, in your first post you said 16 metres - how much was it??

As for £6.75 for cable clips, no way 15 should cost that!

Have you tried billing them for the shock of what could have happened, and maybe they should be paying rent for having extra cables run through your attic.

I agree with previous posts too, definitely an unsafe installation - pyro cables do not look like mains cable, and if they ran them near copper pipes it is an easy mistake to make, especially with no clear labelling, it's the equivalent of putting weedkiller into a squash bottle, one day someone is going to assume it is squash and drink it.

Good luck - in my opinion you should not have to pay this, at least not this amount, and they should be compensating you (not massively though - hate the compensation culture, but it should not have been there, and could have killed you under the wrong circumstance.)

Armengar

Unfortunately I would say that you are probably going to have to pay for it and it isnt cheap stuff to work with.

Im not sure why you will have needed 43 meters of new cable. It would have been cheaper to terminate pot the cable at both ends to "normal" cable, then rejoin the other cut and potted end. Pots arent cheap but neither is 43m of cable. There was no need to rewire.

BTW the fact it was pyro saved your life seeing at the copper is the earth conductor and tripped things before trying to trip THROUGH you.

Home insurance should have covered you for accidental DIY damage if you had it. Otherwise it wouldnt cover you as it isnt a "failure" its a DIY accident. The best you could hope for was incorrect labelling of property or negligence by scottish power. I know MY cable says "property of" on it - the same as the electric box. This is a long shot but they probably dont need to. I imagine there is a clause in the flats agreements that state utilities may cross your boundaries - implying you need to check first.