Overhead power lines diversion for safety reasons

[blue boy]

I have an overhead power line servicing the farm and house running through the middle of the yard. Very careful consideration always has to be taken when loading lorries or feed wagons tipping.
Is that grounds for getting western power to take it underground ? Obviously i can pay to get it done but they are quoting 15K for a 150m run with me doing all the trench and ducting. Anyone had any experiences with something similar?

 

[ploughman1963]

Just going through similar situation ourselves. £17K quote to move a transformer pole and put wires underground with us digging the trench. They say cables are not too low in our yard/working area but I am of the view that especially in wet conditions, we shouldnt be working within say 3m (?) of the cables for fear of arcing? We certainly cant take loaded artic lorries of straw through under the cables - have to add the last layer once theyve gone under the cables.
We are tenants so up to landlord to negotiate it but I'd be withdrawing the wayleave and see were we go from there.

 

[z.man]

Managed to get our overhead wires banded into one single wire (ABC) and risen 1.5m at no cost they were however updating the line running through the farm at the time . It maybe worth while asking if any line works are up coming

 

[jamesy]

I tried the H&S route with SSE to no avail. £8k to put underground + a road crossing. I will need to do it someday.

 

[Chae1]

We had a quote for electric to new house. We dug trench they put cable in and connected. They paid us a large amount back. Which was kind of them.

 

[Richard98]

Similar situation here 2 years ago, cables ran along the back of existing beet pad, we wanted to extend the beet pad which would make wires over the pad. We had to pay, can’t remember the figure but I want to say £10k ish for a 60m run. It included a stretch running over an unclassified road, council wanted a road closure and diversions etc to dig it up but we got a local thrust boring contractor to punch a duct under the road which saved a lot. Dad dug the trench and back filled, they just put cable in the duct and connected both ends. Yes it was expensive but it’s allowed the yard to be bigger and you can’t put a price on safety.

 

[tomlad]

We must have been lucky .
They were renewing anyway, im last on line , so got all mine buried for free . But as last on line had weeks of hassle on gennys ect while they did it .

" have to take some sh#te to get the cream " ??

Basically did as i was told and didn't winge , .
The line did go over my main match fishing lake, all buried now. Makes me nervous though when muppets digging.
Line renewal system took them an age ..... explains were the horrendous quotes come from, they do pee about.

 

[Renaultman]

Just going through similar situation ourselves. £17K quote to move a transformer pole and put wires underground with us digging the trench. They say cables are not too low in our yard/working area but I am of the view that especially in wet conditions, we shouldnt be working within say 3m (?) of the cables for fear of arcing? We certainly cant take loaded artic lorries of straw through under the cables - have to add the last layer once theyve gone under the cables.
We are tenants so up to landlord to negotiate it but I'd be withdrawing the wayleave and see were we go from there.

You need to check with the landlord if they have a lift and shift agreement. If they have none at all, that works in your favour. Currently going through a similar thing myself which tbh I have put in the hands of my land agents who are better with words than me.

 

[Netherfield]

Local electric company wanted to put a bigger transformer on a field pole and increase the wire size, dad agreed as long as they buried a section where he wanted a silage clamp.

Two years later having some money to roll over he decided to put build a cattle building at the side and and put a lid over the clamp as well, building erectors came in and promptly just caught the new cable, not once but twice,placed the concrete pads, two weeks later it rained and the whole village was without power for a few hours.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

I tried the H&S route with SSE to no avail. £8k to put underground + a road crossing. I will need to do it someday.

same.

just agreed 4K for an 80m run.

they didn’t care about HSE or anything else I could throw at them

 

[Feldspar]

same.

just agreed 4K for an 80m run.

they didn’t care about HSE or anything else I could throw at them

Did you try terminating the wayleave? Just about to go through this and just beginning to learn about it. We have had the local DNO out to say that these wires are too close to our existing sheds to load lorries safely. That doesn't seem to have got us terribly far.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Did you try terminating the wayleave? Just about to go through this and just beginning to learn about it. We have had the local DNO out to say that these wires are too close to our existing sheds to load lorries safely. That doesn't seem to have got us terribly far.

it was going to the farm house so couldn't play that trick! had it gone elsewhere, different chat!

 

[Feldspar]

it was going to the farm house so couldn't play that trick! had it gone elsewhere, different chat!

I think that's going to be the same for us. This line only goes to our workshop.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

best bend over then!

 

[Feldspar]

best bend over then!

Local estate seem to have a relationship with their area chap where they have a reciprocal relationship. They don't be difficult (employ agents, allow access, allow upgrades etc.) for stuff the DNO wants, but in return ask for poles to be moved if they're in the way. They are a huge estate so I think that sort of thing probably isn't possible for most of us. This DNO did pull out the stops to allow me to get my wind turbine accredited in the nick of time, so I still feel quite like I owe them big time.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Local estate seem to have a relationship with their area chap where they have a reciprocal relationship. They don't be difficult (employ agents, allow access, allow upgrades etc.) for stuff the DNO wants, but in return ask for poles to be moved if they're in the way. They are a huge estate so I think that sort of thing probably isn't possible for most of us. This DNO did pull out the stops to allow me to get my wind turbine accredited in the nick of time, so I still feel quite like I owe them big time.

It’s a romantic idea and happens a bit but people move on and relationships and regulations, change sadly

 

[Feldspar]

It’s a romantic idea and happens a bit but people move on and relationships and regulations, change sadly

That is true.

 

[roscoe erf]

Western power raised ours over gateways and yard for free as they were too low can’t see them putting them underground without a charge

 

[Exfarmer]

It’s a romantic idea and happens a bit but people move on and relationships and regulations, change sadly

To be fair UKPN were like that 15 years ago when our cricket club were needing a supply and I have witnessed lately a friend who has had an amazing deal, I do not know how he swung it. Cannot go into details though but he is on here, not the sort to boast of his negotiating skills though probably

 

[robs1]

To be fair UKPN were like that 15 years ago when our cricket club were needing a supply and I have witnessed lately a friend who has had an amazing deal, I do not know how he swung it. Cannot go into details though but he is on here, not the sort to boast of his negotiating skills though probably

If they need to do something then it's much easier to get a job done yourself much cheaper, we got a 400 amp three phase supply put in for £2500 about 16 years ago as they needed to cross our land for a supply to a phone mast we did all the digging work three years before they had quoted 12 grand for the same job.