Supply Location 60 metres away.

[normynugget]

Hi, I was called out to a customers house recently to price for a new consumer unit.
When checking the earthing arrangements i discovered the meter cabinet was being supplied by a 6mm (2 core black and red) swa cable.
This cable was fed from a 60amp double pole isolater that was in turn fed by a correct tns supply cable (insulated armour cores for neutrals) via a henley block, earthing block and 16mm tails.
The isolator was contained in a small brick structure with a wooden door, about 2ftx2ftx2ft in size and located approximately
60 metres from the property.
I informed the customer about the supply cable being inadequate and he contacted the national grid.
The national grid came out and took some photos and after a few days told him that the metre had been illegally moved at some point and was originally located in the structure, they wouldn't renew the supply cable for him but they would give him a price for the work.
The price they came back with was £10,000 (there is a good deal of tarmac between the structure and the customers house)
My questions are:
1 Are they within there rights to refuse to do the work?
2 If so, are there any regulations regarding the location of the supply to his property? 60m is an awfully long way off.
3 The structure isn't very secure and any body could easily turn off his electricity supply can the national grid call this supply acceptable?

 

[Richard Burns]

They are not refusing to do the work, but as it is not their cable they are offering a price to correct an inappropriate install.
If the meter had been left in its original place then it would have been down to the customer to sort out at their cost so this is what the case is now.
I do not think there are regulations on the location of the supply meter but this certainly sounds, shall we say, less than usual.
For any house with an external meter box with an isolator anyone could switch off someones supply I am sure they would not be concerned about this.

 

[normynugget]

Thanks for your reply Richard.
Fair points..
Got some new info today, the supply is actually 105 metres from his property and on private land belonging to someone else.
Trying to find some sort of rule or reg that might relate to this problem but no luck so far.
Was hoping someone with network experience might see this post.
Anyway my customer is going ahead with the work via myself and a private builder to dig the trench and hoping to claim the money back at a later date. (the cost will be a fraction of the National Grid price..)

 

[davesparks]

You'll have to consult the ESQCR and the electricity act (free to view online) for the rules the DNO has to follow.

This sounds pretty similar to the supply arrangements at one of our business premises, the meter is located in a little brick shed about 50mtrs away from the boundary of our property. But in our situation it is like that due to the nature of the site