Today I was digging a trench for the footings of a front boundary wall.

The soil was very hard and the fork accidently made contact with the black
water service and the resultant fountain was something they would have been
proud of at Chatsworth.

This was on the main side of the stop tap.

Called Anglian Water. They seemed more interested in getting details of
where and to whom to send the bill.

The defect was subsequently repaired.

This service pipe was at 550mm deep. I believe they should be at 750mm.

So on this basis can I realistically challenge the bill when it arrives?


mark

This service pipe was at 550mm deep. I believe they should be at 750mm.
So on this basis can I realistically challenge the bill when it arrives?

Can you show the ground levels haven't been altered since it was
originally installed ?

"Colin Wilson" o.uk wrote
in message g...
This service pipe was at 550mm deep. I believe they should be at 750mm.
So on this basis can I realistically challenge the bill when it arrives?

Can you show the ground levels haven't been altered since it was
originally installed ?

Yes. The ground is pretty much level with the public footpath.

Can you show the ground levels haven't been altered since it was
originally installed ?
Yes. The ground is pretty much level with the public footpath.

Could get interesting then... although I suspect if privately owned,
you'd end up footing the bill regardless :-/

On 2008-07-17 23:52:51 +0100, "mark" said:

Today I was digging a trench for the footings of a front boundary wall.

The soil was very hard and the fork accidently made contact with the black
water service and the resultant fountain was something they would have been
proud of at Chatsworth.

This was on the main side of the stop tap.

Called Anglian Water. They seemed more interested in getting details of
where and to whom to send the bill.

The defect was subsequently repaired.

This service pipe was at 550mm deep. I believe they should be at 750mm.

So on this basis can I realistically challenge the bill when it arrives?


mark

Challenge it anyway.

Tell them you're refering it to Ofwat.

Let them sue.

mark wrote:
Today I was digging a trench for the footings of a front boundary wall.

The soil was very hard and the fork accidently made contact with the black
water service and the resultant fountain was something they would have been
proud of at Chatsworth.

This was on the main side of the stop tap.

Called Anglian Water. They seemed more interested in getting details of
where and to whom to send the bill.

The defect was subsequently repaired.

This service pipe was at 550mm deep. I believe they should be at 750mm.

So on this basis can I realistically challenge the bill when it arrives?


Shouldn't have been forking in your garden... :-)

But I am reading it right that this is just the pipe that feeds your
house and not a pipe that feeds other properties as well? Just an
outside possibility that this could be a factor - but not sure in what way.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

"Rod" wrote in message
...
mark wrote:
Today I was digging a trench for the footings of a front boundary wall.

The soil was very hard and the fork accidently made contact with the
black water service and the resultant fountain was something they would
have been proud of at Chatsworth.

This was on the main side of the stop tap.

Called Anglian Water. They seemed more interested in getting details of
where and to whom to send the bill.

The defect was subsequently repaired.

This service pipe was at 550mm deep. I believe they should be at 750mm.

So on this basis can I realistically challenge the bill when it arrives?


Shouldn't have been forking in your garden... :-)

But I am reading it right that this is just the pipe that feeds your house
and not a pipe that feeds other properties as well? Just an outside
possibility that this could be a factor - but not sure in what way.


It is the service supplying my house only.

mark

mark wrote:
Today I was digging a trench for the footings of a front boundary wall.

The soil was very hard and the fork accidently made contact with the black
water service and the resultant fountain was something they would have been
proud of at Chatsworth.

This was on the main side of the stop tap.

Called Anglian Water. They seemed more interested in getting details of
where and to whom to send the bill.

The defect was subsequently repaired.

This service pipe was at 550mm deep. I believe they should be at 750mm.

So on this basis can I realistically challenge the bill when it arrives?


I went through similar thoughts when a JCB took a lump out of my gas
service pipe, 8 inches below the surface. "The Gas Board", or whoever
it was 9 years ago, shrugged their metaphorical shoulders and said that
moled-in pipes do sometimes wander around a little. In the end my house
insurers paid up, with just a little discussion about whether the second
incident on the same day required a second deductible.

Anglian Water may reasonably ask whether the OP checked the likely line
of the service and estimated its depth from, for example, the depth of
the stop tap. I think that the buildings insurance route is the way to
go in this case.

--
Kevin Poole
****Use current date to reply (e.g. )****

mark wrote:
Today I was digging a trench for the footings of a front boundary wall.

The soil was very hard and the fork accidently made contact with the black
water service and the resultant fountain was something they would have been
proud of at Chatsworth.

This was on the main side of the stop tap.

Called Anglian Water. They seemed more interested in getting details of
where and to whom to send the bill.

The defect was subsequently repaired.

This service pipe was at 550mm deep. I believe they should be at 750mm.

So on this basis can I realistically challenge the bill when it arrives?


Had a similar experience with new-build home, digging over the garden
and "finding" a blue water pipe with a garden fork. A gurgle and hiss
later, and I leaned over to see where the noise was coming from... a few
seconds later and I was a perfect candidate for Beadle.

North-West Water, at the time, came down (despite it being on my
property, after the stop-cock), closed the SC and let me dig down to
reveal the water main at around 40cm depth - turns out it was a
"temporary" feed to where the builder's portaloos were, which had been
disconnected and capped AFTER my property.

All the engineer seemed interested in was WHO laid the pipe at that
depth (confirmed it should be 750mm), and certainly gave the impression
that he was going to take the matter up with THEM. No bill for me, guy
even refused a few tins, saying he was just doing his job. He repaired
the damage and left.