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?

OK, the householder at the time out the drive in. It's still your responsibility.

The whole estate and neighbouring estates have been left like this, so not just one house.

Ask your neighbour to take photos, OP.

Yes but that's just one group of contractors.

As I said, mine were great so it sounds like it's the luck of the draw.

OP, do you really not have any photos of the front of your house that shows your driveway?

My neighbour had a gas leak and they had to dig up her courtyard to access the pipes, it was black granite setts. They put it all back good as new, you wouldn't have known they had been there.

Wish I’d have thought to ask neighbour to take photos, although I think it will probably be obvious how it looked before

Nothing we can do now, we just have to hope they’ll sort it properly. People 3 doors down are going to get cut off by the sounds of it as they can’t get to their meter

I do also think they could have given more notice, first we knew was Friday when they started digging the pavement then on Saturday a card came through the letterbox saying we have to make sure somebody is in all day today, which we couldn’t do

DameofThrones no we don’t, why would we? I’ve just taken some off Google

I do also think they could have given more notice, first we knew was Friday when they started digging the pavement then on Saturday a card came through the letterbox saying we have to make sure somebody is in all day today, which we couldn’t do

For a non emergency, that’s outrageous. I imagine a lot of people are not able to juggle their routine at that short notice.

If this is routine replacement work and not as a result of a leak, then I'm shocked at the lack of notice you've been given. These projects are planned months on advance.
One of the utility companies is currently replacing pipework in our village. All the houses in the affected streets had letters a month before the work started setting out the schedule of works and its impact. As far as I'm aware, they won't be digging up our drive but they have sprayed paint markings on the grid at the end of it so I'm not sure if they'll dig the pavement up there, but if they block my drive I would fully expect to be notified.

It's a shame you've not been able to take before pictures but they have every right to access their pipework and to cut off your supply if they don't consider it safe.

If the alternative is the risk of an explosion due to defective pipework, I imagine they have a legal duty to cut people off.

I was thinking of old Estate Agent's photos or something like that, but good that Google could help.

It sounds as if this is an emergency replacement from the timescale. You could ask if they can 'mole' under the drive? We had a month of repairs/replacement last summer, and they managed to avoid digging up most of the drives and burrowed underneath instead. The main team were great; unfortunately, the reinstatement was less so (separate team). Not helped that they came when none of us was home. Take photos when you get home tonight at least. You may well have photos of that part of the drive in the background to other pictures e.g. of the car on the drive.

Yes they can cut off supplies temporarily while doing emergency work - our neighbours were cut off for a fortnight and received compensation.