Replacement DNO cable - can they charge?

[Dartlec]

Had a call from a client this morning - 'there was a big bang and we don't have any power'

Got there to discover it was an upstream problem, but only with their property so left them awaiting a visit from EDF 'within 3 hours'

8 hours later they turned up to discover that the join they made on their chimney stack a year or so ago had exploded, and that the cable running through the loft to the cut out needed replacing.

Currently this cable runs free across the unboarded part of the loft, but apparently their 'new regulations' no longer allow this, so they are talking about getting their contractors in to run it externally in conduit as far as possible and then informed the client they *might* be charged for this. (They've left them with a temporary connection)

What's the position on DNO's charging for replacing equipment they happily admit is their responsibility and is no longer fit for purpose? I could understand them making a charge if the customer was moving the cut out, but since its always been there, I don't see how they can justify a charge.

The join that went faulty was installed a year or two ago when a storm pulled the line from their wall and left it across the car bonnet....

 

[Roo]

Would have thought they (the dno) would have to replace it FOC.

It's their equipment that has failed through no fault of the customer and it is up to the DNO to maintain all their equipment.

Now if the customer had shoved a spade though a cable or something similar then IMO the DNO would have full right to charge for correcting it.