I had a look up the road on google maps - there�s some other non Openreach cabinets and an access hatch, possible a small sewage pumping station? Maybe they�re hoping to tap into the power supply for that? As you say, whatever they uncovered in the hole looks too big for 240v, could be a big three phase cable possibly, not much use it it�s 11Kv/33Kv - what�s the price of a transformer?!

You�ve got streetlights on the other side of the road - can the supply cable to them be used or too small?

In reply to a post by AL66:

I had a look up the road on google maps - there�s some other non Openreach cabinets and an access hatch, possible a small sewage pumping station? Maybe they�re hoping to tap into the power supply for that?

If it's the green ones I think you mean, they are pump control panels for a sewage pump. The inspection cover goes straight into the sewage bell, so they won't want to be going in there! The 3 phase supply for that comes down my mate's drive from a pole across the road, behind the houses - I've seen that cable when it was dug up, it's not very big.

The main pumping station and reed bed is nearer the new cabinet, down an adjacent track, and is a more substantial installation. However, as an electrician of 30+ years, I would say that thing in the ground still looks far too big for a supply to that... my money is still on water pipe.

In reply to a post by AL66:

You�ve got streetlights on the other side of the road - can the supply cable to them be used or too small?

I believe they can use the lighting supplies.

According to roadworks.org, the works commencing on 23 March are for another power excavation in the same spot, so this will be attempt number two... if I can catch them in the act, I'll ask them what's going on.

Was the pipe possibly blue? Think they�ve been using blue MDPE for water now for the best part of 30 years, prior to that black alkathene.

Does sound like it�s going to need to use the streetlight supply, otherwise back to FTTP.

Could be 30 years ago, it was a few years before I moved here and I'm relying on neighbour's memory. That said, I'm pretty sure it was alkathene I saw when they dug up a leaking hydrant - that was maybe 15 years ago though.

The excavation in the first photo is certainly the right place for the water pipe though.

The excavation pit was purely to get the small black duct into the cabinet base. That duct is deliberately clear of the buried "service". The hole was probably that large when they realised something else was in the vicinity. I agree it looks too big for a 3 phase 415v XLPE or lead sheathed cable and could be a water pipe.

The cabinet installers do not make the excavation for the power cable. The local DNO will make any excavations for the supply. The route for this should have been planned as part of the cabinet design.

In my village and surrounding ones, where the supply is overhead, the overheads have been tapped and an insulated feed fed down the pole, underground and into the cabinet. If the supply needs to cross the road by a new underground cross road duct, that isn't an issue. It is unlikely that a new pole will be placed by the cabinet and the cabinet fed via direct overhead feeds.

The cabinet won't be fed from a single phase supply that is looped into the streetlights, but if they are fed from single phase taps from a 3 phase buried cable, then the same approach i.e a new single phase tap could be used.

The DNO will re-excavate the hole at the cabinet end of the duct. The fact that it was back filled will be a clue to its location and the cabinet contractors will probably have laid a plastic "services below" tape over what was in the bottom of the trench.

Even after the supply is connected, it could be up to a couple of months before the cabinet is commissioned and the checkers updated. Don't forget the fibre needs to be run to the cabinet from the aggregation node and the copper lines all routed through the cabinet as well. Commissioning takes place after all of that is done.

Edited by sidef (Fri 23-Feb-18 18:05:07)

In reply to a post by sidef:

In my village and surrounding ones, where the supply is overhead, the overheads have been tapped and an insulated feed fed down the pole, underground and into the cabinet. If the supply needs to cross the road by a new underground cross road duct, that isn't an issue. It is unlikely that a new pole will be placed by the cabinet and the cabinet fed via direct overhead feeds.

That's pretty much how the few things on that side of the road are fed, with a underground SWA to the nearest pole.

Another complication is that the electricity board poles are not roadside, the line is behind the properties, so to go underground through a property will probably require at least one wayleave. I hope they find something in the verge when they start digging!

New entry on roadworks.org

https://roadworks.org/?105138450

27 Mar - 11 Apr

Responsibility for these works BT

Information for Road Users

Location: Town Street, Cottam, Nottinghamshire
Traffic lights, etc: Traffic control (two-way signals)

Information for Operational Teams

Highway Authority: Nottinghamshire County Council
Location: (PCP5) 481791,379772, 481810,379781, 481839,379828, 481859,379841, 481877,379866, O/S PUMPING STARTING HEADING NORTH 1
Description: Install 50m of 1 way poly duct in Verge 80m of 1 way duct in carriageway
Works ref: BC005WP00400500257459600
Current status: Planned work about to start

Not sure what all the cryptic numbers are, but the distance (50m + 80m) looks about right between the new cab and the last pole enabled with FTTP. There is no access to verge for part of that route, looks like they're digging up the road... might prove interesting, the road goes over an old pre-Beeching disused railway crossing.

Edited by sparky_paul (Wed 14-Mar-18 17:56:16)

Not sure what all the cryptic numbers are

They are grid references ( Eastings/Northings)

In reply to a post by witchunt:

They are grid references ( Eastings/Northings)

Bingo. I did think that initially, but I gave up after punching one in and ending up in the Atlantic off Cornwall.

This looks more like it...

https://gridreferencefinder.com/?gr=SK8179179772|481...

Edited by sparky_paul (Wed 14-Mar-18 20:13:04)

Well, someone came to the new cabinet on 16th March, as promised on roadworks.org, dug a hole then promptly disappeared. The plastic barriers erected around the hole blew all over the shop that night, next day someone appeared to have laid them across the hole to prevent anyone falling in.

Not sure if anything has happened today as I haven't been out that way, but at least the snow has mostly gone.

I must have a looky tomorrow, see if there's been any progress.

Edited by sparky_paul (Mon 19-Mar-18 22:40:40)