What is this pipe I've uncovered?

[Irn]

Hey everyone. Long time reader, first time poster.

This might be a bit random, but someone on here probably knows the answer.

I've recently moved into a new house which needs a lot of work. One of things I'm doing at the moment is putting in an in ground trampoline for my daughter. I've started digging the hole, but have encountered a pipe in the ground.

Likelihood is that I'll need to shift the position of the hole to work around it. However, I'd like to identify what the pipe is for in case it's
- no longer in use,
- could be moved,
- or just for general future knowledge.

I attached a picture of the pipe. It's a ceramic type pipe in a yellowish colour. It does seem to have separated slightly over the time it's been there, so I can see in through the gaps. I'm assuming it's some sort of water drainage, but it does look dry inside at the moment.

Anyone any idea what it is for?

Some extra information about the property in case it helps.

Our garden slopes downhill and the pipe goes diagonally across for the section I've uncovered. According to the water search we had when buying the house, the drainage is all out the front, not the back where the garden is.

The house was built in the 60s with a section of the garden being purchased by the council in the 70s/80s in order to widen a main road that runs behind it.

 

[mattylad]

Yellow usually means it's a gas pipe.

ISTR it should be a lot deeper than that.

 

[CBW]

Can you follow the pipe in a line and see if it corresponds where the incoming gas (if you have gas) is connected?

Are you able to excavate any more and post a better photo?

 

[Nige F]

Hey everyone. Long time reader, first time poster.

.

I attached a picture of the pipe. It's a ceramic type pipe in a yellowish colour. It does seem to have separated slightly over the time it's been there, so I can see in through the gaps. I'm assuming it's some sort of water drainage, but it does look dry inside at the moment.

Anyone any idea what it is for?
.

probably a hepsleve drain pipe - for a rainwater drain somewhere. Leave the gap uncovered and see what happens when it rains.

 

[Irn]

Sorry for my delayed response, ended up getting ill day after posting. Thanks for all the replies though.

I don't think it's to do with gas. I wouldn't have thought gas would use this style of ceramic pipe and it has all the gaps along it where it seems to have come apart very easily. Our gas supply is all to the front of the property.

If the pipe runs from any house, it would be the neighbours as that's the direction it comes from, but I know all our drainage goes to the front of the property.

I will try to get a look at it next time it rains to see what's happening.

 

[Irn]

Viewed this yesterday while it was pouring down, and I couldn't see any sign of water flowing through it.

 

[bernardgreen]

Is it a pipe or a cable ?

Ceramic pipes can be used as protection for electrical supply cables

 

[HERTS P&D]

It's an old type of soak away .

Andy

 

[bernardgreen]

 

[Mottie]

It's an old type of soak away .

Andy

Yeah. When we were digging out the footings for our front extension, we came across sections of clay pipe just butted up to each other crossing the corner of the footings so we called the building control officer in. He said it was an old land drain and said we could bridge it with a piece of plastic pipe and seal the ends with clay.

 

[Irn]

So I've done some more investigations.

Digging up a bit more, I lifted one section of pipe and stuck my phone camera in to see what was going on inside. I could see that further up was completely blocked with soil.

I then decided to see where the pipe went to, so followed where the pipe would go if it followed a straight line and dug a hole. However, I couldn't find anything.

So instead I went closer to the pipe I had uncovered and tried to dig out more pipe. I then discovered there was no more pipe, that was the end of it.

I then tried to find out more where it came from, and discovered the same thing, there was no more pipe.

So, I have a section of about 1.5m of pipe that does absolutely nothing. And somehow I'd managed to uncovered just about the whole pipe already.

My best guess is this. At some point the pipe went further but became redundant and so was removed, except for this section. There was a raised flower bed where I'm digging, and so I assume they were unable to remove this section and so left it.

So essentially, think I can safely remove it. Wasn't expecting that.

Thanks for your thoughts and input everyone.