Dec 27th, 2019 : Drill Baby Drill

On December 19th about 80,000 customers of Virgin Media in SW London lost their service when a drill wound up the fiber optic
cable like spaghetti on a fork. OK, get a crew out there to replace that section of cable. Not so fast, they have to make thousands
of splices but before that happens someone has to deal with the gas pipe that got drilled through.



Service was restored on the 23rd.

link

A new predator identified, the European Fiber-Seeking Drill. A relative of the European Fiber-Seeking Backhoe --


found on the interwebs:

I wonder if there were any repercussions within the contractor's firm?

A couple of years ago we had to have a considerable length of water pipe renewed between the meter, just outside the front boundary, and the house.

One of the team undertaking the job asked me if I knew where the electricity cables and gas pipe were situated.

Although they use detectors it always pays to have a rough idea of where to look before you start.

He told me that if they struck gas or electricity supplies compulsory drug and alcohol testing followed in short order.

Whatever the situation in this event, I've no doubt that legal letters have been flying back and forth.

That's why utilities should never be buried.

Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice

Gives a whole new technical definition to the phrase "grip it and rip it".