Gas pipe damaged by fencers!

[Agile]

My friend had a problem at his house in Manchester.

He got a reasonable quote from a couple of guys to fit concrete posts and gravel boards and 11 fence panels.
But after a few hours they came and told him they had dug into a gas pipe.

He thought the fencers were to blame but I pointed out that they had not been warned as he did not know it came in from the back of the house. It had been fitted about 420mm down with no warning tape just below the surface which seems to be good practice but not mandatory.

I told him that the fencers did nothing wrong and that he would have to meet the Cadent repair cost of about £700.

Do others here agree with my advice to him or think the fencers were somehow to blame? And if so why?

 

[Mottie]

How could they have known?

 

[Agile]

He thinks they should have dug more carefully!

 

[Elsa TLC]

It's a tough one to swallow, but I think it right that he does.

 

[RandomGrinch]

I am in the early stages of planning on a new fence dig, so I registered with Safedigs - https://lsbud.co.uk.
I thought it was a responsible step, but it's a service that seems very much set up for companies rather than individuals.
For example, the National Grid response was...

"We are unable to approve your request to access National Grid Electricity Distribution online map...
Generally we do not approve private individuals..."

So, although I may feel it is a responsible step to find out what services there are in an area before I employ someone to dig - it seems as if the onus may be with the contractors, who are better able to access the relevant information.

Anyone that digs into the ground should have an idea that there may be something, hiding unseen below!

 

[monday]

Anyone that digs into the ground should have an idea that there may be something, hiding unseen below!

Exactly! Any fencing contractor's QA should have a utilities check as a first step. (They were QA'd?....) Utility entry from the back of the property is unusual but a brief inspection and trial dig would clarify. I suggest this should be down to the contractor.......

 

[ajstoneservices]

We had a services check on this site which came back clear. The site was the rear garden of another property.

 

[Stivino]

IMHO, only the people digging the hole/trench can be responsible for anything that happens during their dig.

 

[lloyda]

At least the fencers in this instance called in Cadent. When my fencers went through my gas pipe (very shallow, no id tape), they told me they had done it, and told me Cadent had been out and repaired the damage.

Fast forwards 6 months, and a smell of gas. Turns out they had tried to repair the damage with Denso tape and copious quantities of concrete.

Cadent were great, repaired the damage with out disturbing the new fence. I had no qualms in passing the details of the fencer to Cadent. Whether they pursued them I don't know.