Forum Discussion

TheDIYchap's avatar
TheDIYchap
Tuning in
11 months ago

Need to build new driveway over public Virgin cable

I'm creating a new access point to my driveway,  dropcurb done up to the verge. On removing a wall between my driveway and verge I found what appears to be a public virgin cable with blue clading at the edge of the verge only 1inch deep. It stretches across the length where I need my to build my new access. I've found my cable which enters the property deeper, but this is the public one, I think. Is it normal for cables to only be 1inch deep on grass verges? Would like to get it out of the way while excavating, is this for my builder or Virgin to do?

8 Replies

Sort By
      • goslow's avatar
        goslow
        Alessandro Volta
        11 months ago
        TheDIYchap wrote:

        Thanks buts it's just the cable not a manhole. 

        If you want VM to bury a cable for you, the process would be the same. They charge you a survey fee of around £240+VAT. They then produce a quote for the work.

        Prices in past topics on here have ranged from hundreds of pounds for something simple through to 5 figure sums for dealing with manholes.

  • Tudor's avatar
    Tudor
    Very Insightful Person
    11 months ago

    The colour coding of underground services gives blue as a water pipe. Never known VM to use bluntrunking, don’t think you van even get it.

  • jpeg1's avatar
    jpeg1
    Alessandro Volta
    11 months ago

    When you applied to the local council for the dropped kerb access to your property they would have checked for any services that might be affected, so it's odd that that didn't notice this pipe on their drawings. I would ask them to check again.

    Whoever it belongs to will need to be contacted and asked to move it. If they had planning permission then you may have to pay them to move it.

    Photos would certainly be useful. 

  • TheDIYchap's avatar
    TheDIYchap
    Tuning in
    11 months ago

    My miss typed it's green. Why would the cable only be 1inch down. From what I've read it's supposed to 30cm under. Is this normal or wrong

    • goslow's avatar
      goslow
      Alessandro Volta
      11 months ago
      TheDIYchap wrote:

      My miss typed it's green. Why would the cable only be 1inch down. From what I've read it's supposed to 30cm under. Is this normal or wrong

      It is easy/quick/cheap to bury a cable at 1" in a grass verge. Burying it at the proper depth costs VM more money.

      There is no shortage of examples of non-standard VM cable installations which have cropped up on here in past topics.

      If you want to post up some photos of what you have discovered you might get some opinions on here.

  • jpeg1's avatar
    jpeg1
    Alessandro Volta
    11 months ago

    This all assumes that VM had planning permission for the cable. If it's not registered on the local authority street plans then they may not have got planning permission and they can't expect to have it protected.

    You need to speak to the council.