Cadent saying they’ll cut off our gas supply if we refuse to let them dig our drive up

[WhiteboardMarker]

They’re saying they own the pipes so we have to allow access to them. Our drive is ‘cobbled print’, they’re saying they’ll get the patch redone to how it is now but it ‘might take a while’

When we asked what the alternative is, that was their answer - we’ll just have to cut the connection and leave it at that

We have, very reluctantly, said they can do it but surely they’re not allowed to just cut peoples supply and leave it?

Well if there’s a leak then I assume cutting off your supply is probably better than blowing the street up.

How else can they access the pipes? They will make good afterwards.

What do you think the alternatives are?

They did this to us and as we have a semi, they needed to dig up the drive and change a pipe feeding into our brand new kitchen at the side.

If it's any consolation, they put everything back properly and you'd never know they'd been there.

Make sure you know exactly which parts they'll be digging and take 'before' photos.

But yes, they own the pipes and they have to be allowed to maintain them.

No leak, pipe replacement

Repair will look odd, and that’s if they can find someone to match it up

I’ll be gobsmacked if they’re allowed to cut people off

Do they definitely need to? We had all our pipes re-laid recently and had the same
conversations but in the end they didn't need to do it, they managed to do what they needed to do from the road.
No-one on our whole road had to have their drive disturbed but we were all told it was a possibility.

They had to dig ours up and made jt good, but it was gravel so easy enough. We asked them for more gravel and they supplied it. Definitely take before and after photos.

Of course they’re allowed to cut people off if it’s not safe 😳 they can’t just leave it and let the whole street potentially explode!

I don’t know what alternative there could be, not had chance to think about it

Can’t take photos unfortunately as they’ve already started and we’re both at work, neighbour phoned me and said they needed to speak to me

You put a difficult to patch drive over a gas pipe....

We had gas works in our street, every house had their front garden dug up in some way. They did what they could to go through areas that could be easily remedied, borders and lawns and put block paving back as they found it.

There is no alternative because it's a massive project to replace all the ancient cast iron pipes.

I doubt they are replacing the pipes for the fun of it.

You can possibly work out why regular pipe maintenance is quite important for gas supply? And why they might not want to supply you via dodgy old pipes?

Say no and switch to all electric and oil?

Or… maybe not.

We've had to have ours done twice, once because contractors cut through our telephone cable at the pavement and once for a water leak, both times it was left exactly as was, in fact they used a mole for the water one so didn't have to dig it all up. I'm not sure quite what you mean by cobbled print though, ours is block paving.

Massive assumption that we put the drive in

States in the house deeds that you have to give access to water/gas/electricity as needed.

Is the issue more that you weren't notified before work started? For non emergency work I'd expect a decent amount of notice.

Yeah, they dug up my mum's, I'm executor and "looking after" the house, they put a note through the door but there's noone there of course. A neighbour texted me.

Next time I went, there was no evidence they had been and it's a nice pale block paving. They must have photographed it and set the blocks aside carefully to put back as they were.

Gas pipe was renewed under our newly laid gravel drive. They just dug it up tossed in a heap then threw it back any old how.

Our drive had been laid properly with sub-base, under layer, then top dressing of gravel. We said it wasn't satisfactory and were told well that's it. We took it a lot higher up. A surveyor came out, said ours had been put back incorrectly as he could see all the under base was mixed on top. So they had to pay for a proper contractor to come out, take out all the rubbish layer, relay most of the drive to the proper standard.

Must have cost them far more than the original job we had paid for! Make sure they do not just "patch" the area as it will show and break up. If it is a concrete print then it might have to be completely redone. Take all complaints to the top people.

Good Luck.

Not necessarily. They leave litter and torn up grass and mud everywhere, so I have little faith in their ability to 'make good' driveways.

Yes they are allowed.
My dad had similar with water. They did repair but as his drive was concrete u can see where they made the repair as the new concrete isn't 'weathered'like the rest.
It needed doing and he had no choice.

Yours did, mine didn't.

Hopefully the OP will be fine.

Of course they’re allowed to cut people off. Want to know what can happen if a leak can’t be repaired in time? Look up the 1971 Clarkston explosion.

Google answers this. Yes, they do have the right to access and to cut you off.

Access for Maintenance: Public gas transporters (e.g., Cadent, SGN) have legal rights to access their equipment on private land for inspection, maintenance, or repair.

Cut Off Supply: They can, and will, disconnect your gas supply if they cannot verify that the installation is safe, particularly if they are upgrading street pipes and need to purge air from individual services.

Yep, in many house deeds, you don't even own a patch of your own garden or driveway, for exactly this reason.

I can understand them cutting people off because those refusing access would be left with the original ancient cast iron pipes.

This risks blowing up neighbouring properties if they can't access to upgrade.

So it's not just you that you need to think about OP.