Armoured Cable

[TheOldFellow]

While digging the garden I came across a 8mm armoured cable, about 8 inches under an old lawn with yellow plastic warning buried about an inch over the top of it. It appears to be running towards a street lamp.

I didn't damage it or disturb it much, and it isn't in my way.

Is a 8mm dia armoured cable - diameter across the steel armour - about right for a small street lamp? It seems to be running from the school next door. Should the council be paying me a rent on this bit of space?

I thought that buried cable should be at least 18 inches down.

R.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I used about that to connect my klargester up..Its fused at 6A I think.

Depth? Well I had a soil pipe running there already down about 18" so it runs in the same trench, but I never heard the BCO ask about it.

I suspect the 18" is for incoming mains which packs a big punch - up to

100A or so in my case.

Cut through what is essentially a 'fused spur' and it will simply blow a fuse or trip an MCB somewhere,

Not sure that applies to post consumer unit stuff.

As far as wayleave goes, it may well be that your house is built on land that used to belong to whoever laid it.

And no one thought to mention it when selling..so its legally grey!

I am not sure how far down ones ownership, or freehold of land, goes.

Certainly you don't have rights over the airspace above, nor mineral rights below.

[Jules]

Take this with a pinch of salt, but 8 sounds pretty low to me.

For some perspective, it's 12" here (north US) for cable running within a duct, and 24" for plain ol' cable (I'm not aware of a specific rule about running armoured stuff underground)

cheers

J.

[Mike]

8mm is about right - an offcut I salvaged when they replaced a nearby street lamp a few weeks ago is that size. The cables and the poured joint were barely a foot deep in the grass verge.

[Al]

Don't go there. You might make a pound or two per year, but by the times it's been put through your tax reurn it'll cost you money.

Al.

[jon]

Maybe they have a right either in your freehold on in a contract.

[R]

Tax return?

[Al]

Yes. Once you start collecting rent, you'll have to complete one.

Al.

[Steve Walker]

8" is rather shallow, it should at least be deep enough that you are unlikely to hit it while digging the garden over!

SteveW