my neighbour has installed garden lights and has attached the cables to my side of the fence and trellis. (so that he can't see them...charming guy)He insists that it is 'his wall' and so he is entitled to do this. I'm wondering now about the safety and regulatory aspect. Shouldn't outside cables be buried or in a conduit? Does that depend on the voltage running through them? If he has put them on my side of the wall is this then a concern of mine now and should I ask for proof that the installation is safe and complies with building regs? Thanks.
You don't know how AB works. Those that spotted the question first time around (me included) give you the best answers they can; you don't get a different angle by putting it in another section of AB. That's just time-wasting.
Thanks Methyl. I obviously am relatively new to this side of AB. (I originally found it via the crossword section). I presumed all the different sections were discrete and separate so when I wanted to ask a further different question (about how, technically, these lights worked) I tried to find the most appropriate section. Sorry if that was wrong. Basically I was trying to find out if these cables presented any danger (fire hazardetc.) and if I now needed details of part P registration for insurance etc.
mtthyl //Low voltage cabling does not need special conduit unless it is vunerable to damage//
Low voltage (LV) is anying under 600V AC or 1000V DC and definitely needs conduit. That includes the normal mains power standard.
The lights could be Extra Low Voltage (ELV) which is limited to 32V AC or 130V DC (if I rememember correctly).
High Voltage refers to voltages above LV. This is the power further up the pole that feeds the transformers. It is generally at 11,000V AC with some of the bigger stuff as high as 33kV. You don't want to go near that it will come out to meet you and turn you to charcoal quite quickly.
In your position, I would try to find out who owns the fence.
If you have a copy of your deeds, it may be shown on there.
If you are the owner, fixing anything to your fence would render him guilty of trespass.
I think there are 2 different things going on here. One is whether your neighbour can fix things to his wall and the other is about electrical safety. On the first point, it will depend on where the wall is relative to the boundary. If there is a gap then the neighbour can use it to fix anything he wants as long as it doesn't overhang into 'your' space. If not then it's probably a party fence and he may need your consent. I can't advise on electrical safety but I believe that only 'armoured' cable is acceptable without conduit.