A
R
rjwbrown
I asked the question of moving a meter of the supplier and this is their response:
“You are indeed correct in thinking that an electrician cannot move a meter nor any supply cables. The reason for this is that the meter and any supply cables are the responsibility of the distribution company and therefore the owner of the meter. If a meter has been moved by a third party who is not the distribution company then it is classed as tampering and the distributor is within their rights to bring legal action against the property owner.
In addition to this, when moving a meter the distribution company will have the power to isolate the property's supply and make it completely safe before any work is carried out. The work will then have to be checked to regulator standard guidelines so that you can be assured that the work has been carried out properly.
If a seal is broken on the main fuse, it is again the responsibility of the distributor. Generally, if a broken seal is spotted by a meter reader, they will either replace the seal or request a job to have it replaced. this is not a chargeable job and having a broken seal does not constitute tampering in the way that removing a meter does.”
What is interesting they say they are within their rights to bring legal action against the property owner not the person who moved it. They may well turn a blind eye but the electrician is not the one facing prosecution but could be caught up in the legal case if he said it was ok and did it.
All it takes is one "jobs worth" to apply the letter of the law!
“You are indeed correct in thinking that an electrician cannot move a meter nor any supply cables. The reason for this is that the meter and any supply cables are the responsibility of the distribution company and therefore the owner of the meter. If a meter has been moved by a third party who is not the distribution company then it is classed as tampering and the distributor is within their rights to bring legal action against the property owner.
In addition to this, when moving a meter the distribution company will have the power to isolate the property's supply and make it completely safe before any work is carried out. The work will then have to be checked to regulator standard guidelines so that you can be assured that the work has been carried out properly.
If a seal is broken on the main fuse, it is again the responsibility of the distributor. Generally, if a broken seal is spotted by a meter reader, they will either replace the seal or request a job to have it replaced. this is not a chargeable job and having a broken seal does not constitute tampering in the way that removing a meter does.”
What is interesting they say they are within their rights to bring legal action against the property owner not the person who moved it. They may well turn a blind eye but the electrician is not the one facing prosecution but could be caught up in the legal case if he said it was ok and did it.
All it takes is one "jobs worth" to apply the letter of the law!
O
Octopus
L
LlandrilloSpark
"having a broken seal does not constitute tampering in the way that removing a meter does.
............Interesting
............Interesting
A
Adam W
Sounds pretty straightforward to me - note they said removing the meter, not moving it. ie bypassing the meter is more serious than pulling a fuse to isolate before changing a CU.
T
thekingiam
- Sep 21, 2010
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K
Knobhead
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