Safety is the key. If you are going to penetrate the ground surface, you should be contacting Before U Dig because contact with live cables or lines carries immense risk.
Any digging required for building, fencing, planting trees and so on in the vicinity of the mains or service cables is dangerous unless you know where they are.
If you prefer, PowerNet staff can visit your property and physically locate the cables to enable you to dig safely – a charge will apply for this visit.
Sometimes excavations can come across older cabling work not noted on Council or network management plans.
If you aren’t sure if a cable is live or not, don’t try and find out yourself. Assume it is live and contact our Customer Call Centre first on 0800 808 587.
Most cables or overhead wires located inside the boundary of your property are known as mains or service lines or cables. They are owned by you and as such are your responsibility.