Fencing on "shallow ground"

[Woodrock]

I have just had a (very dead) hedge removed from my front garden and planned to replace it with a fence. Exploratory digging has revealed sewer drainage and a mains water pipe running about 8 inches underground exactly where the fence posts need to go (typical...) so it is not possible to sink the posts to the required depth. Has anyone ever encountered this problem and any suggestions how to get around it? Built up footings for the posts maybe??

Any help/suggestions gratefully received!

 

[Deluks]

Put the post somewhere else. Offset the start of the fence run so that all posts go in a sensible bit of ground. Was my first thought.

Do you mean the pipes run in line with the proposed fence?
In that case you could support the fence using posts at 45 degrees, which are firmly concreted in a couple of feet back. Or go with a lightweight fence which won't catch the wind. Simple timber bollards with run of decorative chain across the tops. If you set these in shallow, but wide concrete they should hold up.

 

[Woodrock]

Thanks Deluks - putting the post somewhere else isn't an option, sadly it will make the whole thing look like it's been plonked in at random. The sewage pipe crosses the fencing line about halfway along which can be accommodated, it's the mains water pipe that's the biggest problem. Like your idea of 45 degree bracing, that could be a possible solution.

I've been contemplating putting a dwarf wall on a concrete foundation over the top of all the pipework along the boundary line for the fence posts to be set into, or is that an extract from the daft ideas handbook?

 

[Thermo]

how far over would a post need to be to clear the water main?

 

[Woodrock]

I'll find out exactly tomorrow at 09:00 when South West Water turn up to trace the line!

 

[Woodrock]

Terrific - SWW can't be sure where the main goes, although they don't think it's directly below where the first post has to go! I think I feel a dwarf wall with the posts built into it coming on, or raised concrete bases made with formers.

Many thanks for all your help and comments folks, much appreciated.