Sheal
Full Access Member
My back garden had to be completely cleared and re-designed when I bought my present home almost eleven years ago. The two tier bed below was built against a 3ft bank and in the process it helped to hide some obstacles. The mains services to the properties at the back and front of my home (including my own) run right through my gardens. The gas main is to the left of this bed against the boundary, the sewer inspection shaft is underneath the blue pot you can see here to the right and the overhead electricity cables and street light are attached to the pole.
Over the last couple of months the electricity company has laid cables underground in the road behind my fence so that the overhead cables and the poles can be removed from properties. A new road light, on it's own pole has been placed outside my garden and further to the right. So, this means that I've had to temporarily clear the bed of many of the plants so they could dig a 4ft trench to put my own supply cable underground which ran up the right side of the pole.
Here you can see that I'd tried to disguise the pole with a couple of Clematis, they and other plants are temporarily re-sited.
The 4ft deep trench has been dug.
This is the cable for my house electricity supply. Although it is 18 inches down I wasn't aware until the trench was dug that the cable had not been 'armoured'. I'm glad I hadn't dug that deep to plant anything or I wouldn't be here now typing this thread!
Although the cable is now armoured and 4ft deep in the trench it is still close (18 inches) to the surface where it disappears to the right below, because it has to go over the pipework for the sewer. After I disputed this issue with the electricity company from a safety point of view, they have no intention of moving or armouring the cable, they say it's my problem as they were only there to put the cable that was attached to the pole underground. If I want the rest of the cable moved or armoured it's down to me and will be expensive.
Today I have dug and weeded the bed in preparation for the pole removal which is imminent, it will happen sometime in the next three days. It's not certain how deep the base of the pole is but it's somewhere between 6 and 8ft. I just hope they don't wreck the rest of the bed pulling it out. I will update this thread as progress with the pole and bed occurs.
Over the last couple of months the electricity company has laid cables underground in the road behind my fence so that the overhead cables and the poles can be removed from properties. A new road light, on it's own pole has been placed outside my garden and further to the right. So, this means that I've had to temporarily clear the bed of many of the plants so they could dig a 4ft trench to put my own supply cable underground which ran up the right side of the pole.
Here you can see that I'd tried to disguise the pole with a couple of Clematis, they and other plants are temporarily re-sited.
The 4ft deep trench has been dug.
This is the cable for my house electricity supply. Although it is 18 inches down I wasn't aware until the trench was dug that the cable had not been 'armoured'. I'm glad I hadn't dug that deep to plant anything or I wouldn't be here now typing this thread!
Although the cable is now armoured and 4ft deep in the trench it is still close (18 inches) to the surface where it disappears to the right below, because it has to go over the pipework for the sewer. After I disputed this issue with the electricity company from a safety point of view, they have no intention of moving or armouring the cable, they say it's my problem as they were only there to put the cable that was attached to the pole underground. If I want the rest of the cable moved or armoured it's down to me and will be expensive.
Today I have dug and weeded the bed in preparation for the pole removal which is imminent, it will happen sometime in the next three days. It's not certain how deep the base of the pole is but it's somewhere between 6 and 8ft. I just hope they don't wreck the rest of the bed pulling it out. I will update this thread as progress with the pole and bed occurs.
