Neighbors line crosses my land

[Creakyboards]

any help greatly appreciated

I am planning to demolish my and rebuild my house. 

My neighbors phone line crosses from the front right of our drive, diagonally to the left of our drive about a metre from our house.

They are refusing to have it removed and want us to pay a lot of money to have it put underground. Openreach say they can route it from the other side but then it would cross my neighbors neighbors to the lefts land and then are refusing that also.

What are my rights? Seems crazy I can't do anything about a line crossing my land that isn't even mine!

What are my rights here?

[iniltous]

The flying wires act ( something like that ) gives operators like Openreach the right to fly a wire over your land to service someone else ( in effect you don’t own the ‘air’ above your plot ) but there are ( AFAIK ) limits on how close to your property the wire can get .
It may seem unfair , but as it’s you changing the status quo , it’s you that are expected to foot the bill for the diversionary works, because it’s something you are doing that affects others, you pay, even if the works are entirely on your land.

[Creakyboards]

Thanks so much for the answer.

How close is too close.

I don't seem to be able to add a picture but I'd say it's 300mm from my roof.

[licquorice]

https://www.lambchambers.co.uk/property/the-electronic-communications-code-flying-lines-and-the-cour...

Seems to suggest 2metres. However, I can fully understand your neighbour's stance as it is you that requires the change not them.

[Creakyboards]

Thanks so much.

So I have offered to pay for the line to be re-routed to a different post but my neighbors have refused this as they don't want it coming in the other side.

They want me to pay the £342 for a survey and then whatever the cost would be to have it buried underground to their house.

If I pay for the line to be re-routed and they refuse it...what happens then? Thanks so much for your advice so far. 

I just measured and the line is 420mm from our roof but doesn't quite pass over it, it's about 200mm to the front of the roof line.

[licquorice]

I can't provide a solution, but if you have offered to re-route the wire at your cost, then I believe they are being totally unreasonable with their expectations to have it routed differently to that offered.

[FTT]

Your neighbour is being unreasonable I'd say.

I would contract OpenReach to do the job and leave it to them.

Your concern and liability is getting the line moved the rest is up to OpenReach on the day.

If your neighbour refuses access (which they could do in limited circumstances) then they will have refused the connection. That's their problem.

Keep a good note of everything said or written to your neighbour.

If you see the engineer on the day it would be good to speak to them in case they can resolve it differently.