Power cable in garden - depth?

YBR

We are digging out an area of front lawn in order to park a second car without blocking the road. In doing so we have found the power cable that supplies the house less than a spade down. Fortunately it was not damaged.

I feel sure there will be British Standard(s) about this - Does anyone know how deep it should have been or what protection applied? Just to help me decide what to do.

Robin9

Not guaranteed as the power company does not have control of ground levels after the cable has been laid - usually 450mm to bottom of trench depending on the cable.

Aylesbury_Duck

Call the power company for advice. Better to get their advice now rather than after a problem occurs.

YBR

Thanks for your comments. We will bury it as deep as we can (not enough slack to achieve 450mm) and add some extra protection.

Nothing is damaged so no need to waste the Power company's time, and they may need to make it comply with standard now which will be more onerous than when the road was built. A can-of-worms my neighbours won't want opened either.

To mitigate the risk of a spade hitting the cable in future I'm thinking of adding this
https://www.diy.com/departments/black-yellow-caution-tape-l-50m-w-150mm/177167_BQ.prd
and might also add a physical protective layer such as plastic pipe.

FreeBear

Whilst the plastic tape will provide some warning, I would strongly recommend physical protection - Some 300mm slabs laid over a layer soft sand would be suitable (top off with the tape).



In the past, custom bricks were available with a warning of cables embossed in the surface. Have a row of them buried in the drive of my 1920s semi to warn of the incoming mains cable underneath.

jk0

How about using these?


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Reclaimed-Danger-Electricity-Blocks-Interlocking-Bricks-250-Available-/332472731309

29032019

YBR wrote: »

We are digging out an area of front lawn in order to park a second car without blocking the road. In doing so we have found the power cable that supplies the house less than a spade down. Fortunately it was not damaged.

YBR wrote: »

Thanks for your comments. We will bury it as deep as we can (not enough slack to achieve 450mm) and add some extra protection.

Nothing is damaged so no need to waste the Power company's time, and they may need to make it comply with standard now which will be more onerous than when the road was built. A can-of-worms my neighbours won't want opened either.

Are you sure it is the supply to the house, rather than perhaps a cable a previous owner has laid to supply something like garden lights?

If it is the mains supply then you really ought to get the power company to come out and take a look, they really won't regard it as a waste of time as having their cable that shallow would be a major safety concern. If the cable was accidentally damaged then the only thing protecting whoever makes contact with the cable is likely to be a very large fuse in the nearest substation. Those will deliver a lot more electricity before blowing than a domestic consumer unit will allow - and the consequences of that could be serious burns and/or be fatal.

You shouldn't attempt to move the cable at all. Not only is there a risk of damaging it and giving yourself a fatal shock, less serious (invisible) damage may allow damp to enter the cable over a longer period of time which might cause other problems.

Give the power company a call and ask them to have a look before you do anything else.