BE AWARE OF BURIED PIPELINES – BEFORE YOU CLEAR YOUR DITCHES
BPA’s Landowner Services team is asking landowners to be aware of buried pipelines before clearing ditches. The company has launched its Know What’s Below campaign by writing to nearly 2000 landowners and tenants along BPA’s 1000km buried pipeline network in the UK in advance of the regular ‘ditch clearing’ season.
This time of year is particularly important, as farmers typically clear ditches in early Spring. Keeping watercourses well maintained benefits the community as a whole, particularly if an area experiences flooding. Poorly maintained watercourses can be a nuisance to the community, can restrict access to property and can result in considerable expense and inconvenience for those that have been flooded. The weather over the winter of 2019/20 has highlighted the issues of how important watercourse maintenance can be to keep our drainage systems working properly.
Cleaning ditches with an excavator or other mechanical equipment can however pose a threat to the buried high-pressure pipelines if not undertaken correctly. BPA is asking farmers or other landowners who are needing to operate in the vicinity of the buried high-pressure pipelines to contact them in advance of starting any works.
The aim of the ‘Know What’s Below’ campaign is to target landowners and tenants and inform them of the processes to follow if they are planning to work near to the buried network of high-pressure oil pipelines.
As well as asking for up to date details of the landowner, the letter provides information on who landowners need to contact, and what to do, if they are required to operate in the vicinity of one of the high-pressure fuel pipelines. The letter also advises that BPA’s Landowner Services team are on hand to provide advice and even attend the site to mark out the pipeline’s route.
Please contact BPA’s Landowner Services team if you are planning on clearing ditches or undertaking any keep a look out for the letter and be sure to promptly return it to the BPA team.
