Linewatch Warn Utility Companies Digging Too Close to UK Fuel Pipelines

A new report from pipeline safety organisation Linewatch, which raises awareness of oil and gas pipelines around the UK and encourages safe practices when digging around them, has warned that 19% of workers have been reported for digging too close to underground high-pressure fuel pipelines while carrying out utility works (electricity, water, broadband etc.).

The latest Linewatch Infringement Report shows that of the 284 incidents recorded, utility companies were directly responsible for 7%. Whilst still a significant portion, it is a 15% decrease from the previous year. In contrast, local authorities were responsible for just 4% of incidents, while highways agencies and the water industry were responsible for 2% and 0.7% respectively.

In 2024, excavation to install or access underground utilities was the biggest cause of pipeline infringements across the UK, accounting for 24% of all reports. But excavation isn’t the only dangerous activity taking place by utilities companies and their contractors, with the report indicating that roadworks (6%) also pose a “serious threat“.

When it comes to the timings of infringements, there is a pattern, with incidents much higher in Q1 and Q3. March sees the highest peak in incidents across the year with 39 infringements, and October the lowest with 11. This directly correlates with seasonal work and businesses increasing workload to use up budgets before the start of the new financial year.

Murray Peat, Manager at Linewatch, said:

“Whilst utilities works are integral to the UK’s infrastructure, it’s concerning that it persists as one of the biggest risks to pipeline integrity. Especially considering the threat to life is so significant. We know how critical our utility networks are to the UK, so we want to protect them as much as possible.”

The report recommends that utilities firms and their contractors ensure they’re using services like those provided by the LSBUD (Line Search Before You Dig) organisation, which offers an online asset search facility to UK civil engineering firms for underground pipes and cables. The UK Government has also built the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) to provide a digital map of underground pipes and cables (broadband, power etc.).

However, the report noted how having prior awareness alone doesn’t always help, since over half (55%) of all pipeline infringements in 2024 occurred despite the person digging knowing a pipeline was present. “This highlights a concerning trend of complacency amongst those working near high-pressure underground pipelines,” said the report.

We should point out that Linewatch’s report doesn’t really break the category of “utility companies” down, which means we don’t get to see how many such infringements were specifically caused by telecommunications related works (mobile, broadband, Ethernet etc.). But we suspect it would not be very big as such infrastructure is usually done to a depth of 350mm, while fuel pipelines tend to be found at 600mm to 1000mm – depending on various factors. We also haven’t had to write about many such incidents over the years.