I was just chatting to a setting-out engineer. He was urging me to check with each and every utility for any services under my plot before the screw piles go in.
Mine is a rear garden plot and I am almost certain there is nothing there. The legal search at purchase-time revealed nothing. All the services are accounted for in the access road next to the plot. There are no manholes on the plot. There are no obvious reasons why any service would cross it. There is only one old terracotta land drain that I know about on the plot.
On the other hand, the piles will descend up to 8 metres.
I am reluctant to spend the time and cost of contacting every utility. Am I being foolish?