Broadband cables could be fed through water pipes
Fibre broadband cables could be fed through the country’s water pipes as part of plans to speed up the nationwide roll out of lightning-fast broadband and mobile coverage in rural areas.
The government has launched a £4m competition calling for innovators to trial what could be a quicker and more cost-effective way of connecting fibre optic cables to homes, businesses and mobile masts, without the disruption caused by digging up roads and land.
Civil works, in particular installing new ducts and poles, can make up as much as four fifths of the costs to industry of building new gigabit-capable broadband networks.
Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman said: “The cost of digging up roads and land is the biggest obstacle telecoms companies face when connecting hard-to-reach areas to better broadband, but beneath our feet there is a vast network of pipes reaching virtually every building in the country.
“So we are calling on Britain’s brilliant innovators to help us use this infrastructure to serve a dual purpose of serving up not just fresh and clean water but also lightning-fast digital connectivity.”
The project will also look to test solutions that reduce the amount of water lost every day due to leaks, which is 20% of the total put into the public supply.
It will involve putting connected sensors in the pipes which allow water companies to improve the speed and accuracy with which they can identify a leak and repair it.
Any solution used to trial fibre optic cables in the water mains will be approved by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) before being used in a real world setting. The DWI requires rigorous testing ahead of approving any products that can be used in drinking water pipes, and fibre has already been deployed in water pipes in other countries such as Spain.
The government is already considering giving broadband firms access to more than a million kilometres of underground utility ducts to boost the rollout of next-generation broadband – including electricity, gas and sewer networks – and will soon respond to a consultation on changing regulations to make infrastructure sharing easier.
The government has already given broadband suppliers access to existing infrastructure to help speed up roll out, with electricity poles used extensively throughout England to carry broadband cables.
The Fibre in Water project is due to conclude in March 2024. The final year of the project will explore scaling proven solutions right across the country.
Deadline for applications to the competition is 4 October.
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Morgan Sindall tops contracts league with big fit-out job
Morgan Sindall soared to pole position in the rankings for July new orders after its Overbury fit-out arm secured a record-breaking job.
The £300m-plus overhaul project for Citigroup’s landmark tower at Canary Wharf is one the biggest office fit-out jobs awarded in the Capital.
Known as Project Saturn, the modernisation of the 45-floor skyscraper at 25 Canada Square, which Citigroup bought for £1.2bn two years ago, includes major building services infrastructure replacement, structural and façade works and extensive refurbishment of lifts.
Top 10 contractors league for orders in July
Click for full tables
The project also catapulted Morgan Sindall from sixth to second in the annualised league table for orders secured over the last 12 months.
According to data collected by information specialist Barbour ABI, Winvic continues to lead the annualised league with a £1.46bn haul of orders, closely tracks by Morgan Sindall with £1.6bn and then Royal BAM with a £1.5bn tally of contracts in the UK.
Among the other big wins during July, construction group JRL bagged Moda’s £200m build to rent scheme of 560 flats at Sackville Road in Brighton city centre on the south coast.
In Manchester, Renaker has secured the contract to build 390-co-living apartments for Vita, the first of two towers to be built on the Water Street.
In London, Multiplex also secured a 200-bed hotel to be build at 5 Strand, near Trafalgar Square will launch under the luxury Park Hyatt brand.
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Over 100 Cleveland Bridge staff back to work this week
Administrators have agreed terms to restart steelwork production at failed Cleveland Bridge UK’s main Darlington factory.
Over 100 staff are now expected to return to work over the next week raising hopes that insolvency partners at FRP are close to selling the assets of the business and protect jobs.
Martyn Pullin, Partner at administrator FRP, said: “Restarting production is an important milestone for us as we look to secure the future of the business and supports our ongoing talks with interested parties.”
The decision to take staff off furlough to fullfil existing order follows 53 mainly office staff redundancies last week.
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Twenty tonne lorry tips over into trench on HS2 site
The Health and Safety Executive is investigating after a fully loaded 20 tonne lorry tipped over into a trench on an HS2 site.
The Enquirer has seen pictures of the accident last month at the Skanska Costain Strabag joint venture site in Hillingdon, west London where work is ongoing for the scheme’s Copthall Tunnels.
The lorry driver was was taken to hospital suffering from concussion after the incident and has since returned to work.
An HS2 Ltd spokesperson said: “The safety of our workforce and the public is our number one priority. An investigation into this incident is ongoing and we are sharing information about the incident with the HSE who have visited the site.”
More than 200 Unite members staged a protest at Skanska Costain Strabag’s HS2 site in Euston on Friday as part of an ongoing row about union recognition on the job.
Unite national officer for construction Jerry Swain said:“These demonstrations will not only continue, but will spread to include other areas where Skanska-Costain-Strabag currently work. We will not stop until union officials are allowed on site.”
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