Map of underground pipes and cables to prevent disruption

The government is producing a detailed map of underground pipes and cables to prevent disruption due to accidental damage.

It is hoped the map, led by the government’s Geospatial Commission using existing data, will prevent disruption to utility networks as well as protect workers from accidental damage. The Underground Asset Register will detail the location of phone cables, electricity cables, water pipes, and gas pipes.

Currently, the whereabouts of certain pipe and cable networks are detailed on individual company sites but there is no national combined register. Prototypes are currently in use in Sunderland and London which allow workers to access maps on phones and computers before they start projects.

David Henderson, the managing director of Ordnance Survey Great Britain, said: “The creation of an underground map of utility assets has long been an ambition of Ordnance Survey. And over the last year we have been working closely with Northumbrian Water and a consortia of utility companies and local authorities in the North East of England, to explore how accurate geospatial data can improve underground infrastructure maintenance and inform new-build development projects.”

“The investment being made by the Geospatial Commission will ultimately enable the utility industry to more efficiently access, use and share data describing otherwise hidden infrastructure, thereby reducing operational costs, minimising disruption and accelerating completion of site works.”

It is estimated that accidental damage to pipes and cables costs around £2.2billion a year. As well as causing damage to vital infrastructure and disruption, it can be extremely dangerous for construction and maintenance workers who accidentally strike them.

In the North East, the prototype has been developed by the Ordnance Survey along with Northumbrian Water, Northern Gas Networks, Northern Powergrid, and Openreach. The London project is being led by the Greater London Authority with local infrastructure providers and authorities.

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