Screw into mains cable!

From the POV of professionalism - that's pretty bad - doing some damage that has safety implications, and covering it up - he should be hauled over the coals for that.

I'm sure they will try to wriggle, but at the very least I'd expect them to supply or pay for a qualified electrician, and the circuit tested.

Scream "electrical safety hazard", "wiring left in a dangerous state", and "contravention of the wiring regulations" - and such things.

Without dissecting the wiring no-one can be certain. It could be a live conductor or earth is now all but severed, or that there's only a hairs-breadth of air acting as insulation between them - or it could be that the pvc jacket closed up nicely when the screw was withdrawn.

In 1997 Yorkshire Cable came to fit TV+Phone in my flat. "A power cable runs under the floor 12 inches from the wall just there" sayeth I, pointing. "Drill as close to the corner as possible".

I come back later to find a hole 12" from the wall, and another one

A couple of days later the tenant mentions the bedroom socket isn't working. I lift the floorboard and run my hand along the cable to find where it runs to. GNAB! Cooked pine smell. The buggers had only gone and drilled right through the lbooyd cable, right where I'd warned them not to.

Cue earlier-than-planned rewire and moved cable TV cable to a new hole tight up to the corner of the floor instead of half a mile under the carpet.

JGH

Lack of training. He was drilling into a 'protected zone' as defined in IEE regs. They MUST come out and repair the damage.

Malcolm

Yes.

The circuit needs testing, it may even need the cable exposing where he drilled the wall,

I was planning on calling them and

They made the mess they should fix it, including any decorationg costs.

The cable would need replacing. Usually with crimps

Is this a stud wall or a dot and dab wall? You mention screwholes not drill holes.

I think they are usually described as "safe zones" in the regs and in many publications (including the illustrious Wiki). So the root problem might be that the idiot went on a course once where he was taught about the "safe zones", got confused, and now thinks it means "safe to drill here"?

But if the OP is contacting them, it would be a good idea to 'get it right' and say 'IET regs'....

They seem to still be keeping the name "IEE" in such titles:

They are still called the IEE wiring regulations, even by the IET (IEE Wiring Regulations - now available in e-book format, see

Apparently the latest amendments finally have 'IET' on them (found that out at an IET meeting last Wednesday!).

Having said that, I think I was misinformed. The IET appear to be keeping the 'IEE' imprint specifically for wiring regulations.

My apologies!

Just thought I would update you guys.

I spent most of this morning and afternoon on the phone to various people at BT customer services (I think it was call centre in India), insisting that they send someone out now to investigate and rectify any faults. I kept getting the same response that no one will come out at the weekend and all they can do is get BT Open Reach to call me on Monday. It didnt matter how much I complained about leaving the house in a dangerous state and a potential fire hazard. I even tried the 'I have got children in the house' line (which I do). They eventually gave me the number of their compensation department and told me to arrange for an electrician myself.

I eventually managed to get someone to come out (harder than I thought, most of them didnt even answer their phone and the ones that did said they would call back and didnt). He cut out a square of the plasterboard (I think its dot and dab as its quite close to the thermal blocks behind) and we could see where the screw went traight through the middle of the cable trunking. The guy removed part of the trunking and the screw had gone straight through the middle of the cable, severing the earth and exposing part of the live. He cut off the damaged wire and replaced it with a new piece.

I took photo's of the various stages just in case BT try and get out of it, which I am sure they will.

Just need to get someone in to repair the wall now. I could have done all of this myself, but I kept thinking that if I do, we probably wont be able to charge them for it. The electrician callout and first hour was =A3130 plus =A343 for every half hour after that. He did it in the first hour.

If only they did a self install option for BT Infinity. I would have been better off doing it myself.

Thanks for the advice guys.

I can't really see the significance of "chilldren in the house". Are they more inflammable than normal people?

VOSA speak or DfT speak more like.

Yes. You know the cable was damaged since you had a trip. What you don't know is how. At the very least your insulation resistance will have been compromised. At worst you could have conductor damage that may mean overheating at high current demands, or perhaps a failure to clear a fault.

They need to get an electrician out to inspect and fix as required.

Depends on the the circumstances. If its close to the socket and there is enough slack, they may be able to trim off the damaged bit and reterminate it. If there is no slack, but its easy to find the other end of the damaged cable, then pulling in a new length would be preferable. If it that can't be done, then crimp in a new section and insulate with heatshrink as per the crimping article:

Not for much longer. The first amendment to BS 7671:2008 will be subtitled "IET Wiring regulations, 17th edition." This was originally due to be out this July. I don't know whether that date has slipped (and their website seems to be down at the moment).

Ah, I wasn't misinformed then! The guy was a long-time IET member working for many years as an electrical contractor, so I would have expected him to have been right...

Hang on, I'll check.

'Kid's, dad needs you for a minute......'

It's the weekend people don't work weekends...

Oh they will wriggle and squirm and say that you shouldn't have got someone in etc etc. But don't take any of that nonsense and don't bother phoning other than to get the address to send your claim to.

Keep copies of everything you send, send it recorded delivery and keep notes of all contact (dates/times) etc of the whole tale right from the beginning.

The claim should be for the whole amounts (inc VAT etc) that you have been charged plus lets say =A3100 compensation for your stress, time and incidental costs incurred (calls to electricians, builders etc). Give them 30 days from date of claim to pay. Hopefully they will contact you and probably haggle about the compensation, they really can't about the direct costs you have incurred. That's why I suggest =A3100 so you can come down a and still cover you incidentals and have a bit for a stress relieving beer or two.

If (when...) you haven't been paid by 30 days write again giving the

You can't really do much about the disciplinary action that should also be taken against the BT Openreach employee that caused the problem in the first place. It might be worth trying to get in touch with the local BT Openreach office and formally reporting/complaining to them. That employee really needs some training or the sack.

Ofcom is your friend:

If they try to settle on the phone, say you've been advised not to discuss it.