charge from electricity co. for damaged mains cable

noahandthewhale

We were laying a new drive and damaged the mains electricity cable with a Kango. The network company came out and fixed it and we subsequently received a bill for £1400 after 5 months.

What are our rights, we would like to dispute this bill? This charge seems extortionate, the cable was just 10cm below the surface as stated by the engineer who did the repairs. With the cable so close to the surface it was inevitable that it would be damaged when any work was carried out.

Any advice gratefully received

spiro

A number of points, mostof which you may not like:
1) You have damaged someone elses property and they have charged you to repair it.
2) You should have been aware that there would be an electricity cable underground between the road and your path somewhere. Did you use a scanner to find it?
3) Cables are frequently put under paths or drives because they don't tend to get dug up.
4) Because they are under a solid structure they are often near the surface and I am not sure there are any rules about depth.

Does the bill breakdown the £1400?

WhiteHorse

Who put the original cable in? Are there any regulations governing the depth at which these cables must be laid? Should there be warning tape above them? Have they complied with any regulations?

It is technically your fault, but there may be a compromise here.

chanz4

The cables are expensive, a standard sd2 job is about £800 due to having to dig the highway up. Copper is as you know not cheap, they would of had to lay the cables again from the road to your supply point as they can not just repair they have to replace. You should of checked for cables, if you have house insurance you maybe able to claim of this but as you or your contractor were negligent you would be liable. Was is CE electric, YEDL, WPD?

Ich_2

To answer some questions
There is not and never has been a statutory cable depth, there are recommend depths.

Until 2002 there was never a requirement to use tiles or marker tape.

Records showing approximate routes are FOC from the DNOs

Cable avoidance tools are easily available to hire.

There is an HSE guidance note HS(G)47 covering precautions to be taken to avoid damaging buried services, it includes advice on safe digging practices. Generally if this has not been followed you do not have much of a defence.

Ich_2

as they can not just repair they have to replace

Chanz4
I don't know where you got that from. Cables can be easily repaired

noahandthewhale

Thanks to everyone for replying. I understand that there are no depth rules although guidance states a burial depth of less than 500mm is inadvisable. The engineer told us that the cable was extremely shallow at 100mm and wasn't marked by cable covers or marking tape.

The cable was repaired and only a small part replaced (about 700mm), also the length of the trench they dug was 1m they didn't dig all the way back to the road.

The bill was itemised and is shown below:

Direct labour 551
Material 68
Indirect labour 768
Network control 70

These charges seem excessive to me and I am hoping a compromise can be reached.

chanz4

Ich wrote: »

Chanz4
I don't know where you got that from. Cables can be easily repaired

Not if they have cut through the whole cable they cant.

chanz4

noahandthewhale wrote: »

Thanks to everyone for replying. I understand that there are no depth rules although guidance states a burial depth of less than 500mm is inadvisable. The engineer told us that the cable was extremely shallow at 100mm and wasn't marked by cable covers or marking tape.

The cable was repaired and only a small part replaced (about 700mm), also the length of the trench they dug was 1m they didn't dig all the way back to the road.

The bill was itemised and is shown below:

Direct labour 551
Material 68
Indirect labour 768
Network control 70

These charges seem excessive to me and I am hoping a compromise can be reached.

You have got off lightly with that bill, it can be thousands sometimes. Pass it to yours or the contractors insurance

WhiteHorse

I can understand that £551 for direct labour is several guys spending half a day digging it all up and putting it back again. But indirect labour for £768? What is that?

spiro

WhiteHorse wrote: »

I can understand that £551 for direct labour is several guys spending half a day digging it all up and putting it back again. But indirect labour for £768? What is that?

At a guess, indirect labour may be the guys to dig the holes and make good afterwards, direct labour would be their engineers who repair/replace cables.
Of the £1400 I guess about £330 is VAT.