Who's responsible for cabling to fuse box in house?

Lakesmeare

I've had an electician in doing some internal electrical work in my property and he's advised me that the main cable into the house (which runs down the exterior wall) from the overhead line is not armoured and so is potentially dangerous. Along with this the tails from the first inbox to the main fuse box are sub standard and not properly insulated and so are potentially hazardous. the electric board have batted me off to the utility company and said if they replace the exterior cabling we will have to pay to have it done. Can anyone advise me as to my rights in this. Surely either the electiricty board or the company supplying the utility are responsible to provide safe wiring up to the main fuse box?

chanz4

It depends, who did the installation although the dno are liable upto the cutout.

Lakesmeare

the utility company installed a new meter when they relaced the key meter in 2010 but didn't replaced the tails to the meter. It's the cable that runs from the overhead line down the side of the house to the cutout which is non-armoured and therefore potentially dangerous. This is surely the responsibility of the electricity board, but they are saying I am liable to pay for it if I want it to be armoured (safe) cable... Who are the dno?

EPL

Lakesmeare wrote: »

the utility company installed a new meter when they relaced the key meter in 2010 but didn't replaced the tails to the meter. It's the cable that runs from the overhead line down the side of the house to the cutout which is non-armoured and therefore potentially dangerous. This is surely the responsibility of the electricity board, but they are saying I am liable to pay for it if I want it to be armoured (safe) cable... Who are the dno?

Distribution Network Operator - Your local electric supplier.

Where in the UK are you ?

C_Mababejive

I presume the incoming cable was to standard when it was installed and that regulations are not retrospective. Therefore despite this electricians opinion,there is no reason to change it. Who will pay?

Lakesmeare

The DNO is Scottish Southern and they are saying that we will have to pay. Strange thing is that the neighbour's house has armoured cable from the same feed. Might chat to them about when they had that installed...

misterbarlow

the neighbours could have been replaced for any number of reasons in the past.. faulty, wind/ice damage, etc??
there are probably 1000s of properties in your area with non armoured overhead incoming cables, I know there are in mine, the DNO is not gonna just go replace all of it for no reason.. the cost would be astronomical...
why do they suddenly need to be armoured to be deemed safe??
You dont mention the age of your property, but they may have been out there maybe 50yrs like that, with no trouble to date???

societys_child

The only thing I can think of is to NOT attack it it with an axe.

What does

the tails from the first inbox to the main fuse box are sub standard and not properly insulated

mean?

Are they like . . bare wire?

Terrylw1

Tails to the meter from your consumer unit are your responsibility to provide (I noticed you mentioning this regarding the meter change) but the meter is the suppliers contracted Meter Operator, anything from the street up to your meter is the distributor.

macman

There hasn't been an 'electricity board' since privatisation in the 80's.

spiro

EPL wrote: »

Distribution Network Operator - Your local electric supplier.

Where in the UK are you ?

Distributor Network Operator - owns and maintains the cables in your area they are NOT the 'local electric supplier'.