Gas Pipe ARGGGHHHH!

[Thermo]

We were doing a driveway for my parents neighbour this week. It had been built up other time by some builders years ago, with rubble and crap, so it was about 8-12 inches above the road level, and up to the dpc in some places.

We dug it down to get it to the correct depth and put a decent sub-base in. Two gas meters at the far end of the drive. We dug up the neighbours side very carefully, no sign of a gas pipe. Now on my parents side, we knew the gas pipe ran across the garden from previous work that had been done there. Carefully going back down the other side of the drive to reduce the level. As im sitting on the digger i could smell gas. At the same point the other guys could smell the gas as well. turn off the digger to hear a merry whoosing sound. Wed managed to go straight through the gas pipe. I did a quick temporary repair on it, while we waited for transco (who were good and sorted it all out in about 3 hours) At that point the pipe was 6 inches below ground level, and rose up to teh excavated level and dived back down again. I can only assume it had been installed with a mole, theyd hit an obstruction, gone up and back down again.

We ended up very carefully half hand digging the rest of the driveway out. No trace of the pipe. Sods bloody law we nick it just at the point it actually rises up! Even the gas guys said wed been unlucky, and that there is absolutley no way of knowing its depth.

B*U*G*G*E*R is all i can say, but i expect ill say worse when the bill for the repair comes in!

 

[namsag]

Charging over £200 for such a repair around my way . But if i was you try fighting it , regs used to be pipe had to be 18 inches down anything less than this and the damage was free. They don`t fight to hard and right it off quite quickly so its worth having a try

 

[Thermo]

cheers that what i was thinking as well!

 

[TicklyT]

Had similar when we moved house years ago. We planned to reposition the gas meter, and the gas board sent out a surveyor to price the job.

The gas pipe was just laying in the shingle on top of the drive. Whilst the surveyor was there, we 'dug out' about 5 Metres of it just using a broom.

We never did get the bill from the gas board to re-lay the pipe to a new external meter box

 

[Goldspoon]

5 metres with a broom!

 

[DCPlumbing]

But if i was you try fighting it , regs used to be pipe had to be 18 inches down anything less than this and the damage was free.

I'd agree with namsag. I went through one with a pick axe a while ago whilst digging out some privet (at my own house). I was aware there was services there but expected them to run up the footpath but they didn't, The gas pipe cut across the corner of my front garden at around 10" deep.

They came, They fixed and i never heard a thing from them after.

 

[sterod1971]

My own story starts with with me in a leg plaster " directing" my wife and a mate who were merrily digging a hole for a pond. Says me" Watch out for the gas pipe, it runs acros the garden right where you are digging"

Says my wife " No it doesn't, it runs paralell to the house" (women are always right)

Two hours later and much sweating...it was a hot sumers day. Friend finds bright yellow pipe in ground.......

Wife decided she'd had enough and sent for a professional landscaping compay to do the job.

Me, well ive never let her live it down!!!

 

[Click-Sure]

I used to do a bit of labouring for a groundworks guy and went through one. Guess who had to hold his finger over the pipe until transco came.

They even took photographs! One was pinned up in my local for a few years!

 

[cpat]

Cut through the Gas pipe with a spade whilst digging out for a drive. Transco turned up within ten minutes and fixed it.
They told me that there was no legal requirment for the depth of a gas pipe going through private land and they didn't charge me a penny as the chap doing the repair said they wouldn't normally charge anyone if the cable was within 18in of the surface.