You need a section 50 licence to:
- dig up the road to repair existing apparatus such as pipe work or cables
- place new apparatus such as pipe work or cables in the road, that is or will be in your ownership
- have utility-owned apparatus placed in a trench excavated by a third party (a contractor which you have hired that has no connection to any of the utility companies)
- inspect, adjust, maintain, repair, renew, move, alter or remove apparatus
- dig or tunnel into a street, sewer or drain
In most circumstances, you need to give at least one months notice to obtain a licence
Emergency works that are necessary to prevent or stop situations likely to cause danger to people or property can be carried out without a licence. However, you must notify us within 2 hours of starting the emergency work.
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If you need to install new apparatus as part of repairs to existing equipment, you must apply to install new apparatus.