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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 12:31 am
by Tiatodd
Well. Another £500 quid down the swanny.Digging out last week at back of large old house.Only going down probably 8 inch for footing for 450 high wall for base of decking and yep,hit the chuffing Gas main.63mm main, 3 inches deep.My fault of course .Didnt dig a trial hole.Bill for £500 just landed on doormat.How can United utilities get away with such practise and turn round and say i should have dug a test hole when it was only 3inch deep.Has anybody out there ever had an appeal against these Dick Turpins upheld.I am tempted to send them a bill for the down time i incurred for the four lads and a machine i had waiting for them to fix it.One bloke to have a look .Two blokes to see what they needed.20 mile trip to pick up a2foot length of pipe and 4hours later a bill for £500.Help ???
Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 12:37 am
by lutonlagerlout
sheer bad luck and a bit of poor planning
i have hit 'em and they haven't leaked, but once they are broke your in the laps of the gods,good luck
LLL 
Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 10:08 am
by Tony McC
Years ago, when I was still contracting, we always challenged every pipe/cable we "encountered" that was less than 300mm deep, and we never paid for a single one of them. We had a standard letter that was sent to the responsible agency regarding H&S issues, failure to indicate the presence of services with marker tape, etc., and making a big thing about the cost to us in terms of downtime.
On one memorable job, a 16kV cable to a sub-station had been buried in a private back garden just 100mm deep. The so-called official drawings showed the cable was supposed to have followed a U-shape beneath the public footpath, but the bone-idle installer (the leccy board claimed it had been a subbie) had taken a short-cut across the top of the U, via our client's garden. One of my lads, ostensibly digging in what had been a flower bed, took the sheathing off it with a pick. He knew by the diameter of the cable, that this was no ordinary servicem so called out my owld feller, and he called out Norweb (as it was back then) and gave them a right dressing down. I sent them a bill for our downtime and it was paid without any fuss!
Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 11:10 am
by Stuarty
We have challenged the relevant authorities a couple of times. I remember on the first site i worked on, we were digging holes for a fence and we discovered the gas pipe about 150, maybe not even that, deep. Ofcourse we put a nice big split in it and gas board comes out, takes pictures of it and says it will be in the region of £400 im sure. So we asked for a copy of the photos he was taking so we could contest the fact it was barely in the ground, one ten minute phone call to his manager or whatever, no charge.
Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 6:34 pm
by dig dug dan
I got one of my sub contractors to cut a hedge, and told him there was a power cable from the pole to the house in the top of the hedge, and to watch for it.
He didn't and after a big bang and a blue flash,the power was off.
He was unhurt, but the electricity board came out and tried to bill Me.
I warned my subbie that it was down to him, but he insisted otherwise.Last job he ever did for me.
Anyway, EDF tried to bill me, and I told them it was only 10' off the ground which was illegal, and it was "hidden" in the top of the hedge and that I was counter claiming for a new hedgecutter.
They backed down, but told me "cables can be found at any depth, and at any height.!"
If you fight them, thye always back down
Edited By dig dug dan on 1180978521
Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 8:04 pm
by Emulated
I rang my local leccy company last year as I discovered their cable to the house was only 150mm below ground. They claimed there is no set depth for cables to private houses but if I wished to dig a deeper trench under the cable they would ensure the cable was reburied. Must think I am Superman to dig a 20 metre long trench.