Virgin Media Community

[folkbeard]

Hi, I've set up a new broadband contract with Virgin Media, and the engineer is due to visit February 13th.

I've received a text saying that, before that, Virgin Media will need to carry out some external work (I imagine laying cables).

Can someone confirm what this entails? My driveway is entirely paved by bricks, there is a very busy border at one side but no other grass / soft turf, so I'm wondering if the engineers will have to dig up my drive?

Thanks, Mark

[-tony-]

they will not dig up your drive

it all starts at the nearest cabinet - they pull a cable through the underground ducts to the cable point at the front of your property - on the pavement somewhere - i small rectangular or triangular plate on the pavement

the position of that has much to do with how they route the cable to the front of the house - so look for that - depending on where it is depends what they do from there - if its near the flower beds then they will route it that way - if its near the boundary wall near the drive they will leave it on the surface or clip it to the wall/fence

they will usually make an attempt to bury it on soft ground but dont expect much and if you dont wat plants all over the place or a scar across your lawn make sure you are there 

[jb66]

If you don't have a cable to your house they will have to loft your mono block to get a feed to your house

[folkbeard]

Thanks both, If they lift the mono block will they put it back so the work is undetectable?

[-tony-]

---

@folkbeard wrote:

Thanks both, If they lift the mono block will they put it back so the work is undetectable?

---

you can hope but personally i would not let them near - they are cable pullers not block pavers

[sayekm]

I had my drive  paved over existing Virgin cables and if those cables are damaged will be in same situation as you with new cables on surface. I never thought of this at the time to instal cable ducts under the paving:(

If you confident to remove a row of bricks from your drive or get a builder to do this of day of Virgin engineer visit. It maybe money well spent on the builder.
There is nothing more ugly than having green cable sleeve over your paved drive :

[Z92]

Some installers will completely refuse to install cabling under a mono block surface, and some only seem to carry a spade. 

Combine this with the fact that need to get the job done as fast as possible to get to the next job (as they say they are paid per job, not per hour), and you can understand why some jobs are rushed. 

Anything you value I wouldn't let them near! 

For example, when they installed wiring underneath my hedge I'm sure they didn't even use a spade and instead pushed it under, as you could clearly see a bulge, and once it rained you could see the bright green trunking... I disconnected it and moved it to the side of the hedge where I could bury it.