Advice please-they want to dig up my drive!

Silver_Moon_2

Hi folks, any advice would be appreciated. Had a letter from Southern Gas Networks a few weeks back saying that essential work (turns out it is replacing old gas pipes with new ones) will commence on my road. They started a couple of weeks ago, road and pavements a right mess! Guy come up to me today to say that because the pipes are too deep they have to dig up my drive to put new pipe in and connect to house:eek: Didn't really understand his explanation, but basically it appears I have no choice in the matter. They say they will repair hole as best they can but my drive wont be as good afterwards and they won't pay compensation. Also I do not have a lot of faith in the contractors as they have already cut through one of the electricity cables and several people had power down for a few hours. Has anyone else experienced this and do I have any choice? The guy said that if I didn't agree to them doing the work they would stop the pipe at my property and I would no longer have a gas supply. Is this true? Thanks, any advice appreciated.

tomstickland

Sounds fair enough to me.

Bluebirds1975

This is pretty much true. The gas transporters can access their pipes where ever they are located.

They are abliged to make good after

dc

If they are replacing old gas mains, then the replacement will be the familiar large yellow plastic pipe. If you still want to get gas, you will have to be connected to that pipe, as the current supply pipe will no longer have gas in it when they finish.

Hobsons choice , I'm afraid.

slinx

If they are laying the main anywhere within your property then they need an easement, which is a legal agreement to do this. If the existing main is in your property they may already have this.

If it's part/all of your service they're replacing then fair-enough, but they have to reinstate it as good as poss. If not, complain to them, if no luck complain to ofgem.

As for them stopping the pipe at your property, i don't think so. They have a legal obligation to abandon so much of their metallic mains per year over 30 years and this will be part of that programme. They won't just leave you without gas surely!

alanobrien

Yes they have the right to replace the pipes, we had this in our old place.
The work is usually done by contractors so the standards will vary.

A couple of tips.
They should "mole" the pipes as far as they can, this will avoid unnecessary digging up of your drive.

Don't allow them to surface mount gas copper pipe work, they will tell you they have to which is nonsense. They do this for speed and convenience. Several people along our road allowed them to do it without argument. I think it looks bad and is a tad dodgy although within building regs.
Most of us insisted the pipework was connected entirely underground (up the joint alleyway in our case). to the gas meter so all they did was dig a hole near the meter and another on the pathway and "moled" between the two for the new pipework. Hope that is clear...ish.

beedeedee

We once moved into a new bungalow that supposedly had gas connected, but actually didn't, so they dug up our nice new drive looking for the pipes - and then found they were under the grass alongside. How stupid can they be? We had to get them back countless times to repair the drive and it never looked as good again. Don't let them touch your drive until YOU are convinced the pipes are there or need to be there and not under the garden somewhere....