VAC UK

Out with the extension hoses again at the LOSTOCK SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PLANT LTD (LSEP) energy project at Northwich, Cheshire. Our VAC UK specialists were brought in to empty two internal pits that had been filled with clean gravel so that plant could run over them during the build. Limited access within the structure meant that it was necessary to deploy 32m and 20m extension hoses to excavate the pits but these are relatively routine lengths for our operators. The latest generation of vac trucks in VAC UK’s fleet is successfully carrying out #excavation with extension hoses with no suction loss at distances of more than 75m. #Engineering, #procurement and #constructionmanagement (EPCM) contractor, Black & Veatch had requested the pits were cleaned out so the services installation works can progress. Once the electrical connections are made each pit will be capped with a metal lid. The excavated gravel is stored on site for re-use. This is made considerably easier by the truck’s self-contained skip allowing it to capture all the excavated materials and then tip them at a designated storage point without the need for additional #trucks or #loaders. LSEP is a £480m joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and FCC Environment to use residual waste – the material remaining once materials that can be recycled have been removed – as a fuel. The engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contractor is Black & Veatch and Babcock & Wilcox Renewable is supporting the delivery of the power train. Once operational, LSEP will export 69.9MW of electricity to the grid sufficient sustainable energy to power 125,000 dwellings – equivalent to more then two-thirds of households in Cheshire West and Chester. #civilengineering #suctionexcavator #vacuumexcavation #safedigging #planthire #planthireuk #infrastructure #energy #energyfromwaste

Vac truck #digging at Wigston Wastewater Treatment Works near Leicester. Our VAC UK team has been exposing existing underground #infrastructure ahead of an upgrade programme at the site which will includes new control systems to allow a greater element of automation and remote control. As can be seen from the images, several existing services run through the site so it was vital to be able to carry out #excavation without any risk of damage. Digging to up to 2m depth in clay soil, the operator was able to quickly and safely expose all of the buried services – including a water pipe and several electrical connections. The cost of service strikes continues to rise with the UK government recently calculating that the average direct cost of a service strike was £3,371 and indirect costs typically add 29 times as much again. That means that a single incident can now carry financial implications of a staggering £100,000 plus. A strike also carries a significant threat of harm to operators so #vacuumexcavation provides by far the safest means of uncovering cables and services. #utilities #safedigging #planthire #vacex #suctionexcavation

Working on Temple Island outside University of Bristol’s impressive new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus and alongside the waters of Bristol’s Floating Harbour. Our VAC UK team was cleaning out the piles that will support a new walkway running from where we are working near Cattle Market Road and the Totterdown Basin, underneath the Brunel railway bridge that can be seen in the background, to join with the footpath at the Meads Reach bridge. The piles had been sunk down to 4.5 metres depth, through the made up ground and into the original more rocky material below. In just one day, the #vacuumexcavator cleared five of the six piles on the south side of the railway bridge. The work forms part of the Bristol Temple Quarter, the UK’s largest regeneration scheme, that is transforming this part of the city - on both sides of the waterway. The £300M university campus is seen as a catalyst for the wider development of the 70-hectare #development zone which is expected to feature a mixed-use quarter comprising up to 11,000 homes and a revitalised transport interchange near Temple Meads station - as well as a huge upgrade for the station. The #regeneration is expected to create 22,000 new jobs. #civilengineering #infrastructure #vacuumexcavation #vacex #planthire #planthireuk

Excavating a #trench in Lyndhurst near Southampton to allow a new water pipe to be laid. It’s a good example of one of #vacuumexcavation's key benefits. This is a long-established neighbourhood with a typical quantity of existing underground services - much of it unmapped. #Digging using a mechanical excavator would be difficult with a high chance of a strike. That hazard is almost entirely eliminated using the #vacex. It is also a mistake to believe that hand digging is less likely to hit an existing pipe or cable and, of course, it adds an even greater risk of personal injury. Working in generally good conditions, our VAC UK operative was able to excavate the required 46 metre trench in a day and half, successfully and safely exposing all of the buried services. #utilities #safedigging #planthire #water 

Our BROKK 120DII out on manoeuvres near Penrith in Cumbria. Soft verges and caution over the ground conditions made deploying the #demolition #robot alongside our #vactruck an easy decision. Using extension hoses, the VAC UK team was able to excavate a new trench quickly and safely, allowing a power cable to be moved and, in turn, making way for the installation of a new bridge. The BROKK continues to bring an extra dimension to #vacuumexcavation. It is one of a number of useful attachment and tools, from roadsweepers to hazardous materials disposal systems, which are extending the #vacex's impressive versatility. Using the BROKK and extension hoses with our high-performance vac trucks, we are now able to carryout remote excavations up to 100 metres from the vehicle, making for a very potent digging solution for difficult to access locations and bringing the benefits of safety, a tidier site and a lighter environmental impact. #highways #roads #utilities #construction #safedigging

Wishing all of our colleagues, clients, suppliers, friends and their families a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. #MerryChristmas #Christmaswishes

Our move to Kearsley earlier this year was a big, positive step for the business. It was a real pleasure when Bolton South MP, Yasmin Qureshi, officially opened our new headquarters back in May and we already feel we are part of the community. So we were delighted to be able to make a contribution to the area by installing this new bench at The Square on Stoneclough Road. We think it looks very well in its new surroundings and hopefully it will become a popular place to rest legs and watch the world go by. Carrying out a thorough road testing are Kilkern/VAC UK’s Dave Weatherilt, Fitter, and Adam Bell, Depot Manager, who took time out to make sure the bench was correctly installed. #community #donation

Doubling-up on this job in Hinckley, Leicestershire. Working in clay ground below a layer of stone fill, we operated two vac trucks back-to-back to dig a trench for a new storm drain. Across two days, our VAC UK teams successfully excavated 130 linear metres. Given that this is a residential area, there were a substantial number of underground cables and utilities to be safely exposed. This is a classic example of why #vacuumexcavation is now the preferred choice for this sort of #digging. As can be seen in the pictures, the #vacex is able to work very accurately, requires a small operating footprint and minimises the risk of service strikes. The self-contained skip also captures all the excavated material so the working area is kept clean and tidy.  #construction #civilengineering #utilities #drainage #safedigging #planthireuk

Our #vactrucks once again show their versatility at Lostock Energy to Waste Plant (LSEP) in Northwich, Cheshire. The VAC UK team was called into remove slurry from part of the site that was temporarily being used as an overflow for a siltbuster. Limited access and a 15 metre drop to the point where we needed to deploy the #vacex's nozzle saw us breaking out the extension hoses again. Working in conjunction with a Merlo Group telehandler fitted with a shovel we were able to remove 60 tonnes of spoil across a four day period with the most intense activity on days two and three. The vacuum excavator has a twin fan system generating market-leading flow of 45,000 m³/h and vacuum up to 600 mbar. It copes easily with extension hoses up to 75 metres with little or no reported vacuum loss. LSEP is a £480m joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and FCC Environment to use residual waste – the material remaining once materials that can be recycled have been removed – as a fuel. The engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contractor is Black & Veatch and Babcock & Wilcox Renewable is supporting the delivery of the power train. Once operational, LSEP will export 69.9MW of electricity to the grid sufficient sustainable energy to power 125,000 dwellings – equivalent to more then two-thirds of households in Cheshire West and Chester. #civilengineering #suctionexcavator #vacuumexcavation #safedigging #planthire #planthireuk #infrastructure #energy #energyfromwaste

Tandem operations at Wigston Wastewater Treatment Works near Leicester. Ground conditions required that our VAC UK team deployed extension hoses and brought in a tracked #digger to support the exposure of existing buried services. Once completed, a new concrete slab and new tanks will be installed. Our fleet is based around top of the range #vactrucks capable of generating sufficient #vacuumexcavation power that our experienced teams have been able to use extension hoses of up to 100 metres length. This is a hugely useful feature because it allows the #vacex to operate in difficult to reach or confined spaces without compromising any of the benefits of #suctionexcavation – particularly #safety and the significantly reduced risk of a service strike. #safedigging #utilities #excavation #planthire #planthireuk