gas pipe

[Carolina]

Recently when attempting to put a fence up my husband damaged a gas pipe which Transco came and fixed and are now billing us �340 for it. The pipe was a plastic pipe and they changed a segment which was about a foot long, if that.

I would expect a plastic gas pipe to be buried quite far down but it's only about 6 inches down from the level of the house, is that acceptable? Is there anywhere I can find out some information or guidelines on the matter? The house is ex-council and the lady who owned it previously would not have altered the pipes, so it will have been put there by the council/Transco.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[zmudge]

It is really very silly to go digging around a house or in any built up area without first phoning the electricity, water, gas, cable and telephone authorities to enquire whether they have anything buried there. They are always very helpful in this and will come out (free of cost) with their detection equipment if there is any doubt. Your husband could quite easily have been killed, and a spark with gas could have very easily caused a fire and/or explosion. Count yourself very lucky that you have not been prosecuted, and pay the �340 quickly so that Transco forget about you. 

[Oneeyedvic]

zm,udge giving eroneus advice again.....

6 inches is far too high. If everyone who dug to that depth in their own gardens called there local authorities, no work would ever get done!

I think you need the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (unless a later act overides). From memory it said gas was 2 foot depth in the road, 1 1/2 foot in pavements and 1ft 2" in domestic properties. There were exceptions to this, but they were the norm.

Transco do own the majority of pipes in the country.

[Hgrove]

I have to say, the idea that everyone wishing to put up a fence in their own garden should first phone electricity, water, gas, cable and telephone first seems completely OTT.

[emmagleb]

I agree 6 inches is probably a bit high (and also a number thats easy to use, rather than saying 8 or even 10) but as domestic pipes are very small it'd be daft to bury them too deeply.

On the other hand, they're bright yellow for this reason, and pretty resiliant..... it must've been a hard whack with that spade, especially for not knowing what was underneath.

[zmudge]

Any excavation carelessly undertaken anywhere carries with it the possibility of severe damage to persons and property with consequent penalties. Therefore, before commencing any excavation particularly in a built-up area for whatever reason - conservatories, extension, porches, walls, fencing, etc. etc. -  knowledge of the exact position of services within the area of work must first be acquired. The services that can be encountered are soil drains, manholes, stormwater drains, soakaways, water, electric, gas, telephone, cable, etc. If working adjacent to a highway then enquiry must be made of each provider by phone as stated above. If within your own curtilage then it is down to you to locate them. Services can be anywhere at any depth, there is nothing mandatory about them other than that water should be below 2'6".  But even that can change because owners change ground levels. You can even have services from next door under your garden. Location is by any combination of observation, testing, trial holes, sweeping with a detector, etc. Plans showing services are indicative only and cannot be relied upon. A services detector can be hired from your local tool shop. You cannot put a structure on top of a service, so if something is found then either the service or your project must be diverted. Only when you have diligently carried out the foregoing can you proceed with the actual installation of your wall, fence, etc.
 

[Oneeyedvic]

curious as to why "a service detector can be hired from your local tool shop" when you originally state that they "will come out (free of cost) with their detection equipment".

 

None the less, I love the way you think everybody should call up their local companies everytime you need to dig a hole.

As I stated, if you are only diggina hole to 6" - 150mm, there should be no need to trouble anyone as nothing should be buried shallower than 375mm.

Yes there is a potential issue if your garden has been flattened, but unless it has been by almost a foot.......

 

....and even then, do you think that everyone who buries poor little sammy the hamster should dial up the local services in case he gets a pipe up his @rse?

[insurance]

your question reminds me of 2 years ago when we were laying laminate flooring in our dining room.last piece to go in needed a small screw to keep it in place.you can guess what happened next.straight through the main gas pipe.which was only 2inches under the concrete floor.it cost us �35 to get it repaired plus we had to pull up some of the laminate so the gas fitter could get at it.

not a good day. 

[zmudge]

The principle of thorough investigation which I have outlined above applies equally to internal floors, walls and ceilings. A battery powered detector costing about �10 from B&Q and taking 10 minutes to systematically sweep any surface with it before starting work may save your life and quite a lot of �'s.