Go National Grid
Give BT a good old shafting, right up the concrete chambers
National Grid is blaming dodgy building work by BT for a gas explosion in Shrewsbury that injured 12 people, according to a report. The BBC said it has seen legal correspondence from National Grid's solicitors that names the cause of a crack in a gas main at a town centre junction as a concrete "chamber", constructed on top by …
Is a minefield. BT probably have an exemption for "critical infrastructure" works, etc.
They don't need PP for installing telegraph poles and roadside cabinets AFAIK, or for digging holes and burying things. This may be affected by things like conservation areas, etc, but by and large I would expect them to be exempt.
I don't know if the rules have changed but it used to be that mobile phone operators had the same kind of exemption for masts - they had to notify the local planning authority, but they couldn't really object to it.
BT normally trawl forums doing their utmost to remove negative comments. Simple facts with BT. You are dealing with penny pinching, lazy morons. It's almost certain any manhole chamber was built by a third party contractor for the lowest possible fee.
That said, and for all their ills, it's unlikely they would be negligent to this extent. How about National Grid moleploughed that main in forcing it under the chamber when they struck an obstruction?
Just a thought......