Terms and Conditions

• Wessex Water supports the principle of sharing of a trench with other utilities, whether excavated by a 3rd party or other utility providing the trench meets our requirements in respect of cover/depth and separation from other utilities. A shared trench however, is not always practical and any decision to proceed on the basis of a shared trench is entirely at your risk and expense.
• You will be responsible for engaging your own contractor to excavate and reinstate the works. They shall be appropriately licensed to work on the highways.
• Trenches and “jointing holes” should be prepared with due regard to the ‘Good Practice Guide for the Management of Shoring in Excavations’ (link) and relevant guidance produced by the Health and Safety Executive (link) including Guidance note HS[G)47: “Avoiding danger from underground services”, and the Department of Transport (link).
• Where Wessex Water staff determine that the trench is not safe or needs remedial works you will have 30 minutes to fix any issues. Where this is insufficient time the staff will leave site and you will become liable for aborted visit charges at the prevailing rate detailed in our charging arrangements.
• In summary, Wessex Water require blue coloured ducting of at least 90mm diameter with a suitable draw cord, laid with 750mm cover. We will require evidence of compliance via inspection or as a minimum date stamped photographs (at our discretion) showing the open excavation with ducting for all services in place and the depth of that excavation in at least 3 locations along its length. Unless ducted, the pipe shall be surrounded by 150mm of “stone to dust” aggregate of 15-18mm diameter. The ends of the trench should be left exposed for inspection at the time of final connection.
• The customer accepts responsibility and liability for the quality of the reinstatement for a period of 24 months from the date of connection and shall organise any necessary remedial works.