Building Work In Garden

[roseandlily]

our next door neighbours have dug a trench the length of their garden, put drainage pipe & thinish blue cable in, then covered it up..the cable then sticks up above the ground at the end of the garden...does anyone know if this is an electricity cable & if it is legal to install this in your garden

[Buenchico]

Blue = water :
http://www.areco.co.uk/underground-ducting.htm

[VHG]

You can install electrics in your garden (many people do it for lighting, a pump for a pond, sockets for lawn mower and so on).

But it has to be done properly or could kill the people using it if done badly.

I saw this on one web site

Most domestic electrical installations fall under Part P of UK building regulations. In order to be able to prove you have a safe, compliant electrical system in your shed, you’ll need to do one of two things:

•Employ an electrician who is Part P compliant, or

•Notify your local authority who will then inspect it (at a cost of several hundred pounds).

Employing a Part P compliant electrician is easier and more affordable.

If you ever sell your home, the new owners will understandably want to know the job was done properly, so don’t ignore this legal requirement.

[VHG]

Buenchico, I think the cable is blue not the ducting.

[hc4361]

VHG, when I installed an electric shower last year the council charged me £50 to sign it off.

[EDDIE51]

Why don't you ask them what they are doing? Why does it concern you ?

[roseandlily]

In reply to Eddie51.. don't you think we would have tried asking before posting? the reply was that they can do what they want ..it bothers us because of the type of people they are & it's no good waiting until they build something which would impact on our garden, is it?

[jackthehat]

They could be putting in a pond or a hot-tub.
Any structure would require foundations/a base so unless they start constructing anything like that, you should be ok.

[Baldric]

A Drain and a Water Pipe, could it be an Alfresco Loo?

[bhg481]

I think with the attitude they've adopted to your asking them I'd just report them to the council.

[roseandlily]

Thanks Baldric...I had thought the AB was for sensible answers to problems !!

[The Builder]

Probably "Arctic Cable", Rose. (Blue cable).

It's for applications where the cable needs extra flexibility under sub-zero conditions. I'm not sure why they need it though. Black "armoured" cable is usually all that's needed.

In most cases, it's notifiable to the Building Control Dept. (Building Regs.)
Unless... it's being carried out by a "Part P" certified electrician.

Perfectly legal normally.

[BRIGHT SPARK]

If its Arctic Blue buried directly in the ground without ducting ..its a bodge!!

[Dogsbody2]

Agreed, but surely the Arctic Blue cable IS in ducting? - what the OP refers to as 'drainage pipe'

[BRIGHT SPARK]

Dogs...we can assume the drainage pipe to be plastic....Arctic Blue is not covered in an earthed metallic sheath.The supply is not compliant..a bodge.

[EDDIE51]

I think Jackthehat has the same point I was thinking. If this was a building project they would dig the foundations first and put electricity in later once the building was up.

[roseandlily]

Update on this post....the trench has been filled in & 3 things are poking up at the top of the garden..1 blue cable, 1 thin black or grey cable & 1 thicker black cable with white bit on the end, maybe some sort of connection.. we have had no notification of building works.. can anyone in the know tell us what may be going on

[naomi24]

Why don't you ask? Do you not speak to your neighbours?

[roseandlily]

I answered this before when Eddie51 asked...of course we asked..told us they can do what they want..have had issues with them before..their garden runs down the side of our house,so any building will be near us.

[naomi24]

Mmmm.... difficult then.