Paying for land searches?

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Russell

Well-known member
I have been using line search before you dig but they only give me gas pipes. I had been getting cable maps from sse via email and it was free.
Now sse say they are no longer giving details by email and I have to pay line search before you dig. £18 for the elec plans. Does this sound right? Do you have to pay for maps?
 
R

Russell

Well-known member
I got 34 results. I take it you only contact the hazardous ones like gas and electric?
 
V8Druid

V8Druid

do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
I got 34 results. I take it you only contact the hazardous ones like gas and electric?
you wouldn't want to go digging up a BT fibre line either I'd have thought ....... but they're bloody useless at telling you where their cable are anyway ... trust me!! ;):rolleyes:
 
JD450A

JD450A

Feral as Fk 🐾
I have been using line search before you dig but they only give me gas pipes. I had been getting cable maps from sse via email and it was free.
Now sse say they are no longer giving details by email and I have to pay line search before you dig. £18 for the elec plans. Does this sound right? Do you have to pay for maps?
Here is the Exact Email to send them

To/Dear/Whatever......

Please would be possible to obtain your service maps for ...... Insert OS number or address........ As part of my due diligence to prevent accidental damage to your underground assets. Please could you forward to us as appropriate, or notify us if you have no assets in the area.

Failure to do so will result in us accepting no liability for damage to your Underground Assets in our customers property on this site.

Regards....
 
F

fred

Well-known member
Here is the Exact Email to send them

To/Dear/Whatever......

Please would be possible to obtain your service maps for ...... Insert OS number or address........ As part of my due diligence to prevent accidental damage to your underground assets. Please could you forward to us as appropriate, or notify us if you have no assets in the area.

Failure to do so will result in us accepting no liability for damage to your Underground Assets in our customers property on this site.

Regards....

still be liable. their t and c's beat your t and c's.
 
JD450A

JD450A

Feral as Fk 🐾
still be liable. their t and c's beat your t and c's.
Been to court have we :unsure: All you need to do is point out that you have done your best endevours to obtain service plans from them and working due diligence. If they refuse to furnish you with there drawings who's the judge going to think is at fault.
 
R

Russell

Well-known member
I have sent that email in reply to their one stating I need to pay lsbud £18 for the maps.
 
JD450A

JD450A

Feral as Fk 🐾
I have sent that email in reply to their one stating I need to pay lsbud £18 for the maps.
Good

In reality they can charge you a justifiable amount to account for printing and mailing the maps. BUT I personally refuse to use LSBUD as there maps have been incomplete for many years and I don't like cartels.
 
GazCro

GazCro

Well-known member
Been to court have we :unsure: All you need to do is point out that you have done your best endevours to obtain service plans from them and working due diligence. If they refuse to furnish you with there drawings who's the judge going to think is at fault.
Fair argument but if you had still started digging without plans 🤷‍♂️
 
Stubota86

Stubota86

Well-known member
Been to court have we :unsure: All you need to do is point out that you have done your best endevours to obtain service plans from them and working due diligence. If they refuse to furnish you with there drawings who's the judge going to think is at fault.

I take a picture of the cat scanner on the job, not a clue how to use it properly, digger bucket is generally much more accurate 😭, but makes for a nice photo

E8310121-B855-49F0-A812-0109B690D51B.jpeg
 
R

Russell

Well-known member
Good

In reality they can charge you a justifiable amount to account for printing and mailing the maps. BUT I personally refuse to use LSBUD as there maps have been incomplete for many years and I don't like cartels.
who do you use?
There is no printing and posting needed. They were emailing me maps previously.
 
V8Druid

V8Druid

do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
I essentially did the same with BT and SWALEC here years ago .... their guys came out and told me exactly where their 'assets' were ..... Leccy boys were bang on ..... BT were so far out I had three of their cables in a morning ..... the response to "I had your blokes out last week to identify where these all were" was "we'll have someone out this afternoon" :LOL:
 
JD450A

JD450A

Feral as Fk 🐾
who do you use?
There is no printing and posting needed. They were emailing me maps previously.
We are in WPD's area and there local managers are helpful..... there head honcho's however are wankers. They have a Interactive mapping system available to the likes of Kier but not to the little guy..... they have been emailed to state that we have requested access to there Maps and been denied so any strikes whilst doing emergency works will be at there expense.

South West water where very helpful!

"Provision of plans by service owners
36 Owners should provide either up-to-date, readable plans, which show the recorded line and depth (where known) of all their known services buried in the proposed work area, or other suitable information which achieves the same aim. A symbol key is important to help the recipient understand the plans.
37 Owners should do everything reasonably practicable to make sure that such information is made available to enquirers. They are likely to receive many routine applications for information and should consider how best to make information available at short notice. They should also make arrangements to deal with emergencies outside office hours so that operatives can be given plans of underground services when they receive their work instructions.
38 Some owners may have reservations, for reasons of security, about supplying copies of their underground services plans for areas such as those around important civil and military establishments. In such cases, an alternative method should be used; for example, a representative could be sent to the site to provide information. "

So if they Don't provide them, they are going against HSE's view.... https://www.hse.gov.uk/pUbns/priced/hsg47.pdf
 
Lancs Lad

Lancs Lad

Well-known member
I have been using line search before you dig but they only give me gas pipes. I had been getting cable maps from sse via email and it was free.
Now sse say they are no longer giving details by email and I have to pay line search before you dig. £18 for the elec plans. Does this sound right? Do you have to pay for maps?
Said it before but in Lancashire I use LinesearchbeforeUdig. Select area etc pop details in then they respond with whose assets are the area, now for me out in sticks usually it's only ENWL, who then reply with load of bumf and drawing, if it's over view zoom in tighter and they ping another . First time I used it 10 years ago they charged me £50 for a faffy school job, ever since never heard a thing about charging. Now like I say I'm usually out in the sticks farm type stuff so never much else about. But works for me and always have cat scanner.
 
B

Brendan

Well-known member
I'm sure when I did line search I had a few emails from different companies?
 
Lancs Lad

Lancs Lad

Well-known member
I'm sure when I did line search I had a few emails from different companies?
Afai figured out it's just has assets where you've selected.
Helped my cousin a bit back and there's a monster gas pipeline. Just to do anything near it they came and watched like vultures before you could lift a rake.😳
 
F

fred

Well-known member
Been to court have we :unsure: All you need to do is point out that you have done your best endevours to obtain service plans from them and working due diligence. If they refuse to furnish you with there drawings who's the judge going to think is at fault.

be interesting how it would stand up in court with Severn Trent then.

This is the disclaimer on the maps they provide.
 

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GazCro

GazCro

Well-known member
Said it before but in Lancashire I use LinesearchbeforeUdig. Select area etc pop details in then they respond with whose assets are the area, now for me out in sticks usually it's only ENWL, who then reply with load of bumf and drawing, if it's over view zoom in tighter and they ping another . First time I used it 10 years ago they charged me £50 for a faffy school job, ever since never heard a thing about charging. Now like I say I'm usually out in the sticks farm type stuff so never much else about. But works for me and always have cat scanner.
After following this thread and chipping in to it i thought rather than coming on saying linesearch is a waste of time I'd actually try it again first. So went through the registration and applied for plans for a job i was due to start. As above only enwl responded with a plan.
Screenshot_20210219-185845_Drive.jpg

So was pleased to see the electric enters the property (no 29) at the front not the back where there is a previous extension to demolish and footings to dig for new one. Still rely on cat and genny and a look for meter location on site to be sure. Anyway plan is totally wrong elec meter is in back corner and cable runs from side road not front 🤣🤣🤣 so turns out I'm here to say by all means request a plan but ffs don't rely on it alone. Personally in future I'll rely on my own investigation with cat and genny unless something doesn't add up when I'm on site.
 
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