What is this pipe thing?!

[chickencuddles]

Planning to get our garden done this year, DIY as much as possible, just remembered I uncovered this weird pipe thing last year and promptly covered it up and forgot about it, but it's right in the way of where I want to dig fairly deeply to put a path and patio. Any ideas what it is?! I dont have any knowledgeable friends to ask unfortunately... such a weird question I know.

According to my OH it looks to be a cable connector however if it was a bit clearer it would be easier to identify.

Do you have an outbuilding, garden lights, pond etc?

Nothing that i can find! I wish I'd taken a better picture but when I saw it in promptly covered it up and thought 'oh no I'll deal with this another time'! Please thank your OH, it's an excellent suggestion.

Could it be WiFi / fibre optics?

Our house is ancient and shit, but I think the internet comes through the front somewhere. I'm guessing an electrician is the best person for the job to work out what it is and hopefully disconnect it so I can get digging?!

DP says a watertight underground electrical connector

Yes I think that’s what it is. Do you have any garden lights or a circuit in your shed or something?

We don't have a shed or anything at all outside that needs power, that I have come across. I guess I can get it disconnected for now, and then use it to run power down to the garden at a later date. Thanks 😊

It's probably a cable that someone cut through last time they were digging there! It's not a good place for it to be, for safety reasons as opposed to convenience.
I think it might need some detective work from someone on site , it could even be your main electricity supply if it's been looped off another property back when looped supplies were acceptable. Although who knows how it came to be so close to ground level, it's possible the ground level has been lowered. If it is your main supply then you probably don't own the cable and need to pay £££ for a replacement supply.
However all that is worst case, like I say you need someone on site to work out if it's live and if so what is likely to be. Good luck!

Be careful with that it could be the electrical cabling connecting your house to the national grid !
We have something like that under the drive. We built a side extension and the electrical mains originally went into the meter box on the side of the house.
Because we extended the meter box had to be moved to the front of the house and the electrical main moved.
They used a connector box to connect it all up to the main line from the street under the drive.

Track it back and see where it comes from? Look on your fuse board and see if there is an outside fuse? Be careful in case it's live.