Openreach over reaching their authority

Bongodog · Sep 13, 2021

The problem is that the contractors have zero respect for peoples property, they take the work on with a list of conditions attached and then proceed to totally ignore them. The bunch of jokers in this case will have had clear instructions on how to work and where to install the duct, but just did it where it was easiest for them. The people employing them ought to keep them under control but they don't care either.

Last year my neighbour asked for permission to place scaffold in my garden to have her roof replaced, not wanting to have any misunderstanding or future bad feeling I drew up a list of requirements, such things as clearly defined working hours, advance warning of when the scaffold would be erected and dismantled, mess to be cleared up etc. Neighbour immediately said all conditions appeared very reasonable and put them to the roofer who agreed to them. From day 1 it all went wrong, scaffolders didn't care less arrived 2 days early and on it went, roofers turned nasty when reminded of rules and then both roofers and scaffolders stopped answering the phone to their client.

Werzle · Sep 13, 2021

Bongodog said:
The problem is that the contractors have zero respect for peoples property, they take the work on with a list of conditions attached and then proceed to totally ignore them. The bunch of jokers in this case will have had clear instructions on how to work and where to install the duct, but just did it where it was easiest for them. The people employing them ought to keep them under control but they don't care either.

Last year my neighbour asked for permission to place scaffold in my garden to have her roof replaced, not wanting to have any misunderstanding or future bad feeling I drew up a list of requirements, such things as clearly defined working hours, advance warning of when the scaffold would be erected and dismantled, mess to be cleared up etc. Neighbour immediately said all conditions appeared very reasonable and put them to the roofer who agreed to them. From day 1 it all went wrong, scaffolders didn't care less arrived 2 days early and on it went, roofers turned nasty when reminded of rules and then both roofers and scaffolders stopped answering the phone to their client.

Nobody does their job properly anymore, take the person yesterday who couldnt even be bothered to make sure the great north run was measured correctly! People just take the wage and run.

Nearly · Sep 13, 2021

br jones said:
how did it go @Nearly

Thanks for asking.

Went down Sunday afternoon after four hours chilling. I left the trailer on the Disco to stop me speeding down (55 miles).
I spent an hour looking at the job and used a length of re-bar to measure the depth of the duct at sometimes less than 300mm across the field. Brilliant.

I ranted at anyone who would listen and had a few calls from folk on TFF. Thanks.

I couldn't settle this morning so decided to return down again (another day with no ploughing done

) and apply every trail camera and padlock that I had in making it as awkward as I could if they came back to pull the fibre cable trough.

I nipped off the get a butty and as I came back (2pm ish) there was a Hilux from Openreach just puling up.
He came over to me in a pretty sheepish manner and we introduced ourselves.
He was a civils supervisor and had been sent following my online complaint. He was the ideal man for the job and was apologetic from the outset. He actually admitted that the workers hadn't been subbies but actual Openreach employees, but I'm not sure for how much longer.

We walked the length of the duct and he asked me what he needed to do to make it right. I told him he could start with pulling the blue rope out of the duct and Openreach should never darken my door again.
He agreed and rope was duly removed. WIN!

I suggested that I didn't want Openreach back and it would cause more crop damage to remove the duct than leave it there to get sliced up by subsoiler.

I'm consulting with agent about a payment to cover possible repairs to roof water drain and septic tank outlet that the duct will have crossed.

He asked if I owned the roadside grass verge outside the farm ( we laughed) and suggested that this would be the new route.

Pulse rate and blood pressure are still gradually falling.

Talking to friends this aft with relatives in hospital and other friends with major health issues it has put this episode into perspective but I am allowed to go all Mr Angry now and again!

This thread has helped loads and hopefully given a few of you a laugh.

Final joke.
Openreach man said standard depth for cables across farmland is 1.5m.
I nearly broke into full on laughter.

farmerm · Sep 13, 2021

Buried it

Buggers wont bloody bury cable here! Told us if we wanted to replace the cable that was failing we have to trench it in ourselves

goldeneagle · Sep 13, 2021

Nearly said:
Final joke.
Openreach man said standard depth for cables across farmland is 1.5m.
I nearly broke into full on laughter.

Ouch that is very deep, if I remember right SSE state that an electric cable across farmland should be in at 1m.
1.5m standard depth would be expensive to dig and problematic as chances of hitting drain or other service are greatly increased at this depth.

Sorry to hear about your experiences with openreach, my dealings with them have been fine to date but don’t deal with main offices just their field agent for my area. Old guy but couldn’t be more helpful, fear for the level of service provided when he retires.

yellowfrog · Sep 13, 2021

we had bt mole a telephone line in at a farm i worked at down across field up over a dung heap down the other side to the hedge. guess what didnt stay long when we went dung spreading

curlietailz · Sep 13, 2021

They came to lay a cable across my land, about 50 yards..... I got an agent to sort it out
The standard Wayleave payment was something like £250 total forever so I opted for an annual payment ... comes to about £25 a year..... but 10 years will soon pass and I’ll still be getting £25 ( index linked) whereas the original £250 will have been long spent.

Nearly · Jan 11, 2022

Update from today.

The f**king f**kers have installed the fibre optic cable in the duct. Terminated at both ends and ready to connect.
I feel an angry phone call tomorrow morning coming on.
I'm going to host a subsoiling competition at the end of the week!
Anyone welcome.

ollie989898 · Jan 11, 2022

Nearly said:
Update from today.

The f**king f**kers have installed the fibre optic cable in the duct. Terminated at both ends and ready to connect.
I feel an angry phone call tomorrow morning coming on.
I'm going to host a subsoiling competition at the end of the week!
Anyone welcome.

Subsoil it, then insist it is removed?

Lofty1984 · Jan 11, 2022

Nearly said:
Update from today.

The f**king f**kers have installed the fibre optic cable in the duct. Terminated at both ends and ready to connect.
I feel an angry phone call tomorrow morning coming on.
I'm going to host a subsoiling competition at the end of the week!
Anyone welcome.

Go and pull it out

Zebbedee · Jan 11, 2022

Nearly said:
Update from today.

The f**king f**kers have installed the fibre optic cable in the duct. Terminated at both ends and ready to connect.
I feel an angry phone call tomorrow morning coming on.
I'm going to host a subsoiling competition at the end of the week!
Anyone welcome.

That is actually terrible behaviour but at the same time I am not surprised

Nearly · Jan 11, 2022

I'm afraid I agree with you.
I'm going to sack my Mum who visits the yard weekly.

Zebbedee · Jan 11, 2022

Nearly said:
I'm afraid I agree with you.
I'm going to sack my Mum who visits the yard weekly.

Oh well if you sack her for being incompetent she may get a management role at openreach company car and pension package

nonemouse · Jan 11, 2022

Nearly said:
Update from today.

The f**king f**kers have installed the fibre optic cable in the duct. Terminated at both ends and ready to connect.
I feel an angry phone call tomorrow morning coming on.
I'm going to host a subsoiling competition at the end of the week!
Anyone welcome.

Have a 5 leg low disturbance subsoiler you could borrow, if it’s so shallow the discs in front of the legs would do the slicing

steveR · Jan 11, 2022

Nearly said:
Update from today.

The f**king f**kers have installed the fibre optic cable in the duct. Terminated at both ends and ready to connect.
I feel an angry phone call tomorrow morning coming on.
I'm going to host a subsoiling competition at the end of the week!
Anyone welcome.

Sadly too far, but I do have actual experience of subsoiling through HV cables, so a bit of fibre and duct will be a doddle...

Nearly · Jan 11, 2022

Between myself and 2 friends down in West Yorkshire we have 7 Ransomes Subtillers, 40 legs ish.
Vroom!

Zebbedee · Jan 11, 2022

Nearly said:
Between myself and 2 friends down in West Yorkshire we have 7 Ransomes Subtillers, 40 legs ish.
Vroom!

That’s a lot of scotchlocks needed to repair that cable then

TheTallGuy · Jan 12, 2022

When you removed the drawcord you should have have filled the ends of the conduit with expanding foam, or half a bag of postcrete. Access chambers can be filled in too!

lloyd · Jan 12, 2022

Nearly said:
Between myself and 2 friends down in West Yorkshire we have 7 Ransomes Subtillers, 40 legs ish.
Vroom!

Thought you settled things back in Sep?
Openreach are a horrible company to deal with full stop.
Record all your conversations in detail and then send
an email to the CEO of openreach outlining their unreasonable behaviour
and damage to your property and you will be pursuing the matter through legal channels for compensation unless this problem is rectified by a satisfactory outcome acceptable to yourself.

Netherfield · Jan 12, 2022

You can't patch fibre optics with Scotchlocks

But you can fill an access chamber with slurry

Openreach over reaching their authority

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100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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