The pole is going!

I've mentioned this a couple of times recently but thought I'd create a thread instead of taking space elsewhere.

I had to completely clear and re-design my back garden 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 buried 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 four overhead electricity cables, plus one for street lighting are attached to the pole. There is also a street light attached.

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 has been placed outside my garden and further to the right, my garden now resembles Wembley Stadium at night.....it's bright!

This means that I've had to temporarily clear the bed of a number of plants so a 4ft trench could be dug 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 had been dug.


This is the cable for electricity supply to my home. 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 typing this thread!


Although the cable from the pole is now 4ft deep in the trench and armoured it is still close (18 inches) to the surface where it disappears to the right as 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 rest of the cable. They say it is 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 weeded and dug 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.....or my fence for that matter, pulling it out. I will update this thread as progress with the pole and bed occurs.


Some of you have suggested that I had the pole left in and adapted it for another use but I want it gone. There's enough issues going on - in and around the bed and if it is rotting at the base I don't want the aggro and expense of having it removed at a later point. It's been there a long while.

 

Hope it all turns out as well as can be Sheal. That's some deep surgery your garden as undergone isn't it,
best of luck,
Jenny

 

Why cant it be sawn off just below ground level?

 

Because if they do that Pete I won't be able to plant anything there! I may have two fairly good sized gardens but there is very little planting space. I can't plant within 9ft of one side boundary because of the gas main. The other side boundary is for access and drive which stretches almost the length of my plot and back and front have a bank and hedging respectively. That leaves me with just a few flower beds and lawn.

 

need a pic of the removal better out than in

 

Ive never thought until now about where my electricity cable enters my property , stupid i know but I just dig blindly . I havent a clue where it is,could be anywhere.One day I`ll find it

 

It's gotta be said, that's a smashing border Sheal

 

Hope all goes well for you Sheal. Can you not claim any form of compensation?

 

I've got a feeling it's not going to happen until Friday when I'm out on a forty mile round trip to my dentist! If I'm here there will be pictures.

If you have access to your deeds then there should be a plan attached of all the services to your house and exactly where they run on your property. You could also contact your electricity company to provide you with the information.

Thank you Freddy but I thought my choice of plants last year were a bit dull, let's see what this summer brings......if the weather ever improves up here!

Thanks Anthony. It would be easier to get blood out of a stone!

 

for a safe removal Sheal,it'll be a good job done when it's gone.Be interesting to watch them doing it

 

Thanks Loli. I'll be watching with one eye open, it's going to be a bit precarious I think.

 

Good luck @Sheal!

 

Thanks Charlie.

It doesn't look like I'm going to be here when the pole is pulled. We were told it would be on one of three days and tomorrow is the third day and it's still here. Today they have started removing the five cables. I'm hoping it will be gone by lunchtime tomorrow so I can be here to make sure they do the job properly and also get some pics. I have to go out in the afternoon, so you can guarantee they won't turn up until then, typical!

 

Bear with me, I live on the mainland.

Why cant you plant anything on the gas main, is it not buried?

Surely the post cant be more than 18ins in diameter, is that a large part of your ground space?

 

The gas main isn't a huge pipe, it's a small one set in concrete below ground and runs from the front of my property through my gardens and out of the back. There is a road front and back. My house deeds state that I cant plant within 9ft because of roots disturbing the pipe even though it's in concrete. However, there are already hedges within inches of the pipe but I believe they were there before it was laid. The pipe actually runs through the left hand side of the bed above but obviously it's a lot lower down because of it being tiered so there shouldn't be any disturbance.

Pete, 18 inches in the scheme of things in a flower bed is quite a lot bearing in mind that any shrubs I want to plant need to spread roots too. I've also got the issue of working round the sewer shaft there too. I had enough hassle with the construction of that bed because of rocks and other debris that had to be removed, why would I want to leave another chunk in there having removed the rest. It's in the way, it's an eyesore and to be honest it'll be just as quick to pull it out as cut it off. It's the only bed I have room for in my back garden, so I want to make the most of it. Also, I'm not a person that bodges a job, I like it done properly, so leaving it in is not an option whichever way it's looked at.