Homeowners carrying out DIY projects in the garden could find themselves footing a large bill unless they make sure they are extremely careful when digging.
According to the Sunday Sun, County Durham’s Paul Chorlton punctured a gas pipe while digging a trench in his garden and as a result had to call out Northern Gas Networks for repairs.
However, the body charged a whopping £449 for the job, which used materials worth £2.37 in total.
"They replaced a bit of pipe where we nicked it and put two connections in," he said, before adding: "There was no digging involved because we had already done that."
According to the organisation, the cost covered the emergency call out of three engineers.
It could therefore be in the interest of keen DIYers hoping to improve their garden to take more care when digging.
Which? advises avoiding backache while digging by maintaining a good posture, bending the knees and holding the shaft as close as possible to the blade.
Posted by Barney Marshall