On Thu, 23 Jan 2014 18:33:12 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

AIUI Bt don't need wayleaves nor do they pay for poles etc.

They certainly do - provided it supplies other premises. If it's just
you, they don't.

If the pole's also electricity, then the electric wayleave covers it.

Elec companies do.

Expect a phenomenal "quote" for them to do it

Or do it yourself and look puzzled if anyone mentions it.
I mean what is involved beyond a big hole full of concrete with a screw
eye embedded in it and some cable and a tensioner any ships chandler
will sell you...

They don't even use concrete. We've had a couple of new poles installed
by Western Power this week - the stay bases are buried about 2m down. THe
end has a plate on it, and is slotted through a hole in a ~2m length of
thick wood or resin (think thin railway sleeper, and you're not far off).

Big deep hole dug, lob the base down, backfill. Job jobbed.

One of the poles (12m, 400kg of transformer hanging from it) went down a
hole dug with a JCB bucket. The other (10m, just wires) went down a hole
drilled with an augur on a minidigger. Both had about 2m underground.
Again, no concrete. The old poles they removed (installed 1960s) didn't
have any concrete, either - they were just wiggled then yanked out with a
JCB.