
Guides
Plain guides to adoption agreements, safe digging, utility colour codes, directional drilling, cable jointing, UKPN G81 and BESS civils.
Guides for anyone planning utilities and groundworks

Section 38, 104 and 278 agreements: how new roads and sewers are adopted
How new roads and sewers are adopted in England: what section 38, 104 and 278 agreements cover, who signs, bonds, fees, timelines and common delays.
Read the guide
Avoiding utility strikes: HSG47, CAT and Genny, and trial holes
How to avoid utility strikes in the UK: HSG47, utility records, what a CAT and Genny can and cannot find, PAS 128 surveys, trial holes and the 500 mm rule.
Read the guide
What do the colours of underground pipes and cables mean in the UK?
What buried pipe, cable and duct colours mean in the UK: gas, water, electricity, telecoms, sewers, tapes and tiles, and why colour is never proof.
Read the guide
Horizontal directional drilling (HDD): when to drill instead of digging a trench
When to use horizontal directional drilling instead of a trench for UK cable and pipe crossings: process, lengths, permits, frac-out risk, drawbacks.
Read the guide
Cable jointing and joint bays on HV and LV cable routes
How cable joints and joint bays work on UK 11kV and 33kV cable routes: joint types, bay construction, cable pulling, jointer competence, testing.
Read the guide
UKPN G81: the rules for building electricity networks UK Power Networks will adopt
What UKPN G81 is, how it relates to ENA EREC G81, and what it asks of ICP civils: cover depths, ducts, joint bays, substation bases and land rights.
Read the guide
BESS sites in the UK: what the groundworks and civils involve
What the civils package on a UK battery storage (BESS) site covers: foundations, bunds, drainage, fire access, cable ducting and the grid connection.
Read the guidePlanning a scheme?
Tell us the route, the voltage and the programme, and we will come back to you.
