Where utility records come from
Before any excavation, designers and contractors need to know what services may be in the ground. The starting point is a records search, often called a STATs search, which gathers plans from each asset owner: Scottish Water for water and sewers, SGN for gas, the electricity network operator, Openreach and other telecoms and fibre operators, and any pipeline, heat network or private site owners.
NUAR does not cover Scotland
The National Underground Asset Register (NUAR), run by Ordnance Survey for the UK Government, brings asset owners’ data together on one map. It covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but not Scotland.
VAULT in Scotland
In Scotland, the Scottish Road Works Commissioner runs the Scottish Community Apparatus Data Vault (VAULT), which gives eligible organisations access to location information about apparatus from the participating utilities. Where it is available to a project it is a useful source, alongside records requested from the individual asset owners.
Why records alone are not enough
Whichever source you use, records are a desktop source: in PAS128 terms they give quality level QL-D only. They are often schematic, rarely show depth, may not include service connections or private networks, and can be out of date. Abandoned services are frequently missing altogether. HSE guidance HSG47 expects records to be used alongside locating equipment, not instead of it.
What to do
- Start with a records search to understand the likely services.
- Commission a PAS128 detection survey (Type B) using EML and GPR to locate what is actually there.
- Verify critical services at chambers or trial holes (QL-A) where the risk justifies it.
- Mark out services on site before excavation and keep the drawing in the health and safety file.
Need a utility survey? Call 0345 548 5451 or email us with your site plan for a fixed quote.
