Openreach Poles

[Frazer G]

I am a new member and have been browsing the site and it is a mine of helpful information. I am so pleased I joined.

 

In that spirit I found a few references to “wayleaves” and Openreach” and that "Openreach can do what they like". Briefly I will recount an experience I had this year. I hope the below is not too long and give courage to others.

 

On day I was in my garden and heard a lorry and much shouting. For context my house stands back on a long drive as part of an old Victorian property converted into individual homes in 1927. The road is a short cul-de-sac so lorries and people attract attention.

I went to see what was happening and found a gang of men with a lorry containing telegraph poles looking at my drive and garden. Enquiring what they were doing gained the information that the pavement was too narrow to place a pole needed for a new fibre optic line so they were going to put it in my garden! Some discussion took place as I explained they were trespassing and bound to damage some of my plants and “no you’re not putting that pole anywhere on my property”. (Language adjusted for publication!).

They with bad grace put the pole back on the lorry and left. About a week later there was a rerun of the above with a bit more aggression on the part of the “foreman”. The end of that conversation was that I went to my house and returned with a chainsaw and explained in very small words that if the put the pole up it would only take minutes for me to “take it down”.

A few days later there was a knock on my door and two men in suits identified themselves as Openreach managers. Again, they tried to pressure me and said I could not stop them putting up the pole. I said that that just wasn’t true without a long process, potentially involving courts which could take months. Did they really want that?

 

I said, “in any event you have not asked if I mind you putting a pole on my land, you just turned up and were going to do it”. Embarrassed looks and conversation on their part revealed that they should have written to me and basically asked permission to enter my property. They apologised that that had not happened. They also agreed the first crew were completely wrong in what they were about to do. We glossed over my threat to cut down the pole, probably not actually a great idea in practise! The rest our conversation was less confrontational.

 

An official wayleave followed with £150 compensation and an agreement that the foreman of the next crew would agree a suitable position for the pole which was acceptable technically and did not inconvenience me. The pole is now in position with wires attached (they do not serve my house) and I can’t see the pole from the house. Legally it is also their pole so if anything happened it is their problem, not mine.

Openreach do have certain rights but also has rules which they should follow.

[Bozza]

Ooenreach are appalling.

 

Edited Friday at 09:13 by Bozza

[Super_Paulie]

i had something similar with CityFibre, who id never heard of at the time.

 

One morning when i left for work i noticed a team of guys in a van over the road, didnt think anything of it, thought someone was getting broadband in or something. Came back at 5pm and there was a telegraph pole directly outside my house, against my boundary wall and directly in front of where a window was to be on my approved plans, maybe 2ft away from the window. It seemed they deliberately waited until i had left for work before they started on it.

After a few moments of "was that pole always there?" confusion i read the notice on the pole that said who to contact with any complaints. So i did, and the council building control as well. To be fair to CityFibre the gaffer came out the next day and said "yeah, that pole shouldnt have gone there but they dont need permission" and can put a pole anywhere they want. The council got back to me and said it was bang out of order and that they will insist on it being moved if CityFibre dont agree. Anyways, they did and agreed to move it to the far side/road side of the pavement about 6ft away and on the gable end. I was happy with that as it meant it wouldnt be directly outside of my window.

 

However, nothing happened for months. Maybe 3 months. And when it did they came and removed the pole and filled it in with concrete. Strangely, 30 seconds after the guys left another van turned up and the bloke was massively confused "looking for the pole". He then proceeded to dig out the fresh concrete and replace it with black tarmac... within the concrete pavement.

 

That was 2 years ago now and the pole never did get put in the new place, they simply didnt come back. Suits me, but it was needlessly stressful all round. Ironically, just this week i looked at the tarmac they put in and its got a hole in the middle of it about 30cm deep, so its sunken or something. 

[Conor]

In the vast majority of these cases, the contractor is on a fixed rate agreement to do the works. E.g. £500 per pole. They get a job list, head out and do their work. If they can't do a job, they don't get paid. Their time, their loss. The business would have competed for the work and calculated a min installation rate to be profitable. So of it turns out 20% lower due to poor info from openreach, then they are under pressure and losing money. This pressure transfers to the crews who then do what they can and bend the rules to get their jobs done. A product of the system.

 

I've been there, done that, seen the company I worked for loose £££££.