Utility failures.

[conny]

For 2 weeks now we have had a stream flowing down our road from a burst water pipe further up the road. Despite daily calling to the water board to come and do something about it nothing has been done. Yesterday we were told they had been out and looked but the plans show an electric cable running 'somewhere in the area'. This means they now have to contact UK Power to determine where it runs and if it is safe for them to start digging. UKP have told them they will have to determine where exactly the cable is and then, if they don't have the information on file, they may have to dig a test pit to see what type of cable it is. i.e. SWA, insulated paper etc, etc They have no time frame when they may be able to attend. Meanwhile all residents below the leak are suffering low water pressure and at certain times of the day, e.g. morning or evening, you can't get a shower because the pressure is too low. Having a disabled, double incontinent young adult in the house doesn't seem to matter to the speed of repair either.
No wonder this country is on it's knees when we can't attend a utility fault without having to involve all and sundry into the problem. As a child I remember if a pipe burst the water board would be out pretty sharpish, dig the hole, repair the pipe then take a week to fill the hole back in. Everyone satisfied and the kids had somewhere extra and exciting to play in.

 

[Odds]

A couple of years ago our stopcock stuck fast and i called out a plumber to replace it but couldn't find the mains cock to isolate our water supply to do the job. After much scratching of heads it was concluded some bright spark from the council had tarmac'd over it after a job done, years ago, on the pavement in front of our drive. Had to go through a real rigmarole to get a new one done.
T'is a terrible time to be on low pressure as this heatwave is due to continue into next week.
Good luck.

 

[bernardgreen]

As a child I remember if a pipe burst the water board would be out pretty sharpish, dig the hole, repair the pipe then take a week to fill the hole back in.

Errors on maps mean that digging a hole base on the available map data can result in a disaster. The original paper maps were not always accurate and changes to road layouts (*) mean reference points have moved but without the changes being recorded on the maps.

Then the conversion of maps from paper to digital added more errors.

The maps of utilities in this village are known to be inaccurate. Previous gas works found the gas mains were as much as two feet away from the map location and some cables were found that were not on the maps.

On July 22nd a 6 week program of major renewal of gas will begin in the village. Before any holes are dug a lot of work will be needed to locate exactly where pipes and cables are located. One of the cables is an 11kV cable, finding that with the bucket of a JCB would be "interesting"

(*) it appears that private developers and council highways departments can alter road layouts without any requirement to inform utility companies about the changes

 

[conny]

A couple of years ago our stopcock stuck fast and i called out a plumber to replace it but couldn't find the mains cock to isolate our water supply to do the job. After much scratching of heads it was concluded some bright spark from the council had tarmac'd over it after a job done, years ago, on the pavement in front of our drive. Had to go through a real rigmarole to get a new one done.
T'is a terrible time to be on low pressure as this heatwave is due to continue into next week.
Good luck.

We had a guy come to say he was fitting a water meter a few years ago, despite me telling them I didn't want one and neither did the LL but he still turned up to do it. Accepting defeat he then asked where our stop cock was. I said under the kitchen sink. He wanted to know where the exterior one was so I told him to get his magic wand out and find it because I wasn't sure. (I knew exactly where it was but was going to do his job for him). He walked up and down the main road outside and finally declared he couldn't find any pipes leading to our property from the main one which ran down on the opposite side of the road. He asked if he could check the back garden, (which is quite large), and I agreed so long as he didn't disturb the flower/shrubberry beds. Took him about 2 hours of tramping back and forth to locate it half way down the lawn partially covered by a bit of overgrown grass.
"Oh that one!" I replied with a straight face.
He then went on to explain they will need to dig a big hole in the lawn because it was below the recommended depth and would involve more work than usual. Told him they wouldn't be digging any holes for a water meter while I lived there. Never been bothered by them since but at the time they were a bloody nuisance.

 

[Odds]

We had a guy come to say he was fitting a water meter a few years ago, despite me telling them I didn't want one and neither did the LL but he still turned up to do it. Accepting defeat he then asked where our stop cock was. I said under the kitchen sink. He wanted to know where the exterior one was so I told him to get his magic wand out and find it because I wasn't sure. (I knew exactly where it was but was going to do his job for him). He walked up and down the main road outside and finally declared he couldn't find any pipes leading to our property from the main one which ran down on the opposite side of the road. He asked if he could check the back garden, (which is quite large), and I agreed so long as he didn't disturb the flower/shrubberry beds. Took him about 2 hours of tramping back and forth to locate it half way down the lawn partially covered by a bit of overgrown grass.
"Oh that one!" I replied with a straight face.
He then went on to explain they will need to dig a big hole in the lawn because it was below the recommended depth and would involve more work than usual. Told him they wouldn't be digging any holes for a water meter while I lived there. Never been bothered by them since but at the time they were a bloody nuisance.

Sounds like he had a day out from the office, at least Our chap used some sort of magic gizmo to locate the water main underneath the pavement.
I won't have a smart meter, either, but the company keep sending e-mail reminders occasionally. A damn nuisance, i agree.