What happens before we dig: our safe digging process

Fitting a telescopic bollard means digging a hole up to a metre deep in your drive. Under most drives there's something you don't want to hit: a gas pipe, a power cable, a water supply, a drain.

So the most important part of our job happens before the drill touches the ground. Here's exactly what we do, on every job.

Step 1: A utility search when you book

As soon as you book, we run a free search through LinesearchbeforeUdig (LSBUD), the UK's online service for checking digging sites against utility companies' records.

It checks your address against more than 160 network owners, covering gas, electricity, water, high-pressure fuel and fibre. Those companies send us plans showing what they have near your drive.

Some reply in minutes. Some take days. That's why we search when you book, not on the morning of the job.

Step 2: We read the plans and chase the gaps

We go through every plan that comes back and check it against where your posts will go.

Not every network owner is part of LSBUD. Where the search shows one that isn't, we contact them directly. Where anyone hasn't replied, we chase them.

Step 3: We ask you about private pipes and cables

Utility plans stop at the edge of your property. They won't show the pipe and cable running from the street into your house, or anything added since: garden lighting, an electric car charger cable, a soakaway, gate motors.

So we ask. You know your drive better than any map.

Step 4: We scan the ground on the day

Before breaking ground, we sweep the area with a cable avoidance tool and signal generator (a CAT and genny). It picks up live cables and metal pipes, and anything we can send a signal down. We mark anything we find on the surface.

If something is in the way, we move the post. We never dig through a service.

Step 5: We dig carefully, and we write it all down

We break the surface carefully and dig by hand near anything suspected, re-scanning as we go deeper. No scanner finds everything, so careful digging matters.

Every check goes on a written record for your job: the search reference, the plans, your answers, the scan results and photos.

Why we go to this trouble

Because hitting a gas pipe or power cable is dangerous, and because doing it properly is what our insurance requires. It's also why we follow the Health and Safety Executive's guidance on avoiding underground services.

You shouldn't have to think about any of this. But if you're choosing an installer, it's worth asking how they do it. Our guide to choosing an installer covers the questions to ask.

Questions people ask

Does the utility search cost me anything? No. It's part of every job.

What if you find a pipe right where I want the post? We'll show you and agree a new position nearby. A few centimetres is usually enough.

Will the scan find plastic water pipes? Not always. Plastic pipes with no tracer wire can be invisible to scanners. That's why we ask about your water supply and dig carefully by hand near where it might run.

Send us a photo of your drive for a fixed price