Electrical line close to a hedge

Block (8

Last year I planted a hedge in my back garden along a low dividing wall to cover the view to my neighbour's garage.

While digging about 1 and half foot from the wall I realise there was a cable running parallel to the wall about a foot away and a foot down. I think it may be the electrical supply line coming from outside through my garden. I already have a line of beech hedge planted along the back garden wall so the cable must be going through that hedge too.

I asked 2 garden centres and one said the roots will grow around the cable and that there is nothing to be worried about and the other was undecided and afraid to advise.

Do anyone else have any experience or advice?

blackbox

Electrical cable is supposed to be more than a foot down to avoid getting damaged.

As long as you don't slice it with the spade I wouldn't be too worried.

Furze99

Which side of the boundary is this cable on and where is it running from & to? What's its purpose? If it's a mains supply, it should certainly be deeper than that and running through some sort of conduit, piping. It may just be running from one or other house out to say a shed? Or outdoor lights, water feature?

You'd want to be kinda careful - if connected to house consumer unit you might be protected by an RCD trip switch if you cut it but depends on how its wired. If mains, then bye, bye. I'd be investigating further.

If the hedge is planted, the roots will grow round it. If cable in conduit, then unlikely to be damage but you wouldn't want to let the hedge get too big and develop a lot of weight and big tree roots. If it's just electric cable you saw, I'd be disconnecting it.

Block (8

I was careful in the digging and planted the hedge away from the cable but only about half a foot away.

It's a hard black conduit approximately 30mm in diameter and my guess it runs out through the back garden wall from my digging for the planting. There was a field at the back of the house and recently a school was built. I see some kind of electrical board behind and outside my neighbour's back wall so I think that's where my electricity is coming from.

PoorFarmer

The electrical supply for the house should be run in a red duct and buried to I think 700mm. Also should have a warning tape over it to avoid hitting it while digging and should be 50mm duct IIRC

Block (8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118458068#Comment_118458068

Could be a the water supply but going out through the back wall is strange? It does look similar to a water supply come to think about it, it's quite stiff.

Would it be ok if it is a water supply? I'm undecided in taking them all out and maybe plant some tree there but prefer a hedge. There was some cherry tree there but never looked healthy as that part of the garden gets water logged a bit if there's a very long period of heavy rain during winter.