Cables buried in the garden!

Joanthebone

espresso, I do have the right to be angry.








I will take a photo tomorrow and try to upload it, if I can find the cable to do it, I only moved in a week ago and still have boxes around me, I have had short days as I have had no electric light until my kind electrician sorted them out this afternoon. Something else I feel I am entitled to feel angry about with my vendors!

Gordon_Hose

Give em a good tug.

justjohn

gordon_hose wrote: »

give em a good tug.

bang!!!!!!!

Ruski

justjohn wrote: »

bang!!!!!!!

Well, it'll get the utilities companies out PDQ!!!!


Russ

Gordon_Hose

Do utility companies lay cables 1 inch below the surface of people gardens?

Nilrem

Gordon_Hose wrote: »

Do utility companies lay cables 1 inch below the surface of people gardens?

They're not meant to...

But I know at least one house in my street has it's incoming mains cable from the street all of about 6 inches under the ground (it was lucky that the homeowner hadn't hit it with a spade as they had replanted their front garden multiple times, but luckily hadn't touched the lawn).

The cable could originally have been buried lower but the surface could have been lowered due to things like landscaping or removal of other stuff above it.

What is meant to be done with things like utilities and what is there aren't always the same
Especially if the house may have been built after the utilties put something in.

Anyway with me I'm always wary of anything like that, it's better to be overly cautious when dealing with what could be some form of power cable, than assume it's not and get a nasty surprise.


Actually one thing that does occur to me now, 2inch black tubing could be water pipe, as my father had some he intended to run out to his garage when he had it built, but forgot to lay it before putting in a hard stand (mains water is from memory meant to be blue, but supply to the property can be black from memory depending on age). I took the tubing to the tip a few weeks back, it had been sitting in the garage/shed/behind the shed for 20 years.

lostinrates

Joanthebone wrote: »

espresso, I don't know why you are finding this so hilarious, I have been crying my eyes out.


I have (carefully) uncovered a bit more, the cables are only about 1" below the surface when they reach the bottom of my garden, and I can only assume they then go under the driveway of the bungalow at the end of my garden (I am on the corner). There are three cables with a very thin wire twisted round, I suppose to keep them together.


I am sure there was no shed there, the garden is small, but there is a garage which the previous owners used as a shed, as I do.


I don't know how to put photos on here. I am waiting for Openreach to get back to me, but they have told me it will cost £199 just to look at the problem and lots more if the cables have to be moved. I am so angry, I have to pay because they did a bodge job I will have to have them moved, I bought this place because I wanted to have a garden, and at the moment I can't use it at all.


I have only been here a week and I am now beginning to wish I had never bought the place.

Hang on.

If the cables have to be moved its because they are unsafe

My advice if its open reach, based on an openreach issue last year, is to email the entire board. They won't respond, but You will be replied to by customer service and dealt with very well. It was they only way we could even get a reply.

You should NOT be paying to rectify a dangerous error of theirs. ( if it turns out to be theirs).

force_ten

they wont be telecoms cable because telecoms don't have bundled cables like you describe

a quick google search of BT u/g cables shows nothing like you describe

www.google.co.uk/search?q=under+ground+cable

the perfect fit for what you describe is a power cable and that is aerial bundled conductors but that is an overhead cable and not a u/g cable

www.kamarossi.co.za/shop/aerial-bundle-conductor-abc-cable/

as i said if it is ABC it should not be buried and it certainly should not be just under the surface it should be 600mm under a garden and 400mm under hardstanding and it should have a caution tape over it a couple of inches before you get to the cables

It could be a scrap length of cable that has been buried in the garden but before you do anything it needs to be checked out

Davesnave

Joanthebone wrote: »

espresso, I do have the right to be angry.

Yes you do, but part of that anger is because you've contacted Openreach, who aren't 'customer facing' and think they have a right to charge people big money just to come and look at something. Don't let them scare you.

They are, perhaps, one of the most boorish companies out there. Contact the local water authority, or the power distributors on a matter of health & safety and you'd have an entirely different experience,. I know, I have all three with wayleaves on my land.

But you don't know it's anything to do with Openreach yet, so don't pay them a bean or sign anything. If this cable is important, then whoever buried it didn't do much of a job, and they need to be the ones sorting it out.

If you can get a photo and post it here using Tinypic or similar, well and good, but you can also send it to Sky, Virgin, and the local power distributor. Someone will recognise it.

Meanwhile get a grip, ignore all the plonkers on here who want a cheap giggle at your expense and don't let this colour your judgement about your new home. Hopefully, you will have years there to enjoy the garden. This little matter will be resolved.

Properties usually throw up a few surprises for their new owners and ' something unexpected buried in the garden' is very typical, if my experience is anything to go by.

moneyistooshorttomention

lostinrates wrote: »

Hang on.

If the cables have to be moved its because they are unsafe

My advice if its open reach, based on an openreach issue last year, is to email the entire board. They won't respond, but You will be replied to by customer service and dealt with very well. It was they only way we could even get a reply.

You should NOT be paying to rectify a dangerous error of theirs. ( if it turns out to be theirs).

Put it this way....if those cables are "live" and might give someone rather a nasty shock then the relevant "owner" of those cables has two chances:
1. Take their responsibilities seriously and get it sorted

OR

2. Potentially get sued by the executors of your Will for having killed you.

I've had to deal with a community issue here recently that there was an attempt to shelve and just leave...but, as soon as I made it fairly clear that "cause me or mine to have an accident because of not dealing with Your Problem and you will be In Trouble" and they got my drift and its sorted.

I wouldn't be at all surprised personally if I'm in a pretty similar situation. I've realised my electric cable to my home only runs underground for part of its way to me - which at least has the virtue that I can see exactly where it comes onto my property. Once it comes onto my property, then it goes underground in the normal way....but I would not be at all surprised if its too close to the surface and I've got some workmen about to come in for another job that have already expressed to me that they will be on the lookout for it being too close to the surface. Workmen and I have already established that the electric lot can look out for a "joint attack" from both them and I if that turns out to be the case...