Contractor drilled through Electrical Cable

[Jothetaxi]

Last summer (on the first day of our holiday) we received a call from our building contractor saying they had drilled through the main electrical cable. UKPN were called out. UKPN said they would lay the cable but would not dig a trench, as it was too close to a tree.  The contractor dug the trench and UKPN laid the cable.

 

The contractor claims that the cable was too close the surface, which is why they drilled through it and this was cause to dispute any charges that might be made by UKPN.  They said on the phone they had lots of photos. They have since supplied only one photo.  The contractor has presented us with a bill for the digger and for labour.  They have also passed our details on to UKPN, who will now pursue us for payment for laying the cable. 

 

We have been told that because the cable was close to the surface, we should dispute this with UKPN, however, without more than one photo of the alleged badly positioned cable, we are not sure we have much of a case. We also face a bill from the contractor for equipment and labour.

 

We are questioning whether the contractor dug the cable by accident or through carelessness.  Without proof of more photos etc, we are unsure how we can prove the cable was too close to the surface.

 

Would UKPN keep notes on the position of the cable?  would they have notes regarding the issue? should we push the matter back to the contractor,as we were not present at the time?

 

Any thoughts on how we should approach this would be appreciated. 

[JohnMo]

We had a similar issue where contractors hit a mains water pipe, they got a fine and cost the repair.

 

Bottom line they are the professional, they are the ones that made a mistake, or had an unavoidable incident, it's their issue to sort out, they are or should be insured for such events, if they aren't that isn't your concern or problem.

 

Don't get involved, anyone comes and starts asking or telling you stuff is your issue, pass the contractors details to them.

 

18 minutes ago, Jothetaxi said:

We are questioning whether the contractor dug the cable by accident or through carelessness

It's not your issue to question, it's the contractors - getting involved just gets you in the middle of stuff you need not be in the middle off. Tell the contractor to deal with it - it's the issue.

 

[Andehh]

Our builder went through the villages main power cable 1 week into our build, several houses on emergancy gennies, half the village without power all day, and about 4 days of 24 hour work to resolve. 

 

Architects assured us builder was responsible, and had insurance for this... And when I gently confronted him on the day, he crossly assured me his wife wasn't getting a new car this year... 

 

Thank fully he managed to prove the cable wasn't laid to the drawings, and we never heard about it again. 

 

 

Its a shitty situation, but if there is a doubt check before you dig is common sense... And a professional will know there are ways of checking. 

 

However.... Disputing and falling out over (say...) £5k bill on a £150k build will come back to bite you one way or another....but if it's £5k off a £15 bill..... So you need to judge the situation pragmaticly 

 

 

[Gus Potter]

25 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

It's not your issue to question, it's the contractors - getting involved just gets you in the middle of stuff you need not be in the middle off. Tell the contractor to deal with it - it's the issue.

John, your experience is showing, admire, one sentence only!

 

47 minutes ago, Jothetaxi said:

Last summer

Take John's advice and see how it pans out. The builder may just chuck in the towel. At the end of the day they knew there was a cable somewhere, the depth is a bit of a moot point.