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WHAT'S ON OFFER
Page 63
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Battening down the hatches
Gone are the days when a token perimeter wall or rail served as an effective demarcation line between the outside world and the haulier. In 2003, even operators in low-crime areas need to think about investing in decent fencing. Palisade fencing -the characteristic elongated steel strips topped with jagged edges is standard issue.
Nigel Rowles, proprietor of Bristol-based C&R Fencing, specialises in erecting such measures. "Like anything, the more you pay the better it is," he says. Tall fencing looks intimidating, but the shorter fencing is actually more useful. 'Two-metre-high palisade fencing costs between £37 and E40/metre to put in. It is possible to buy 3.6m high palisade, but at this length the steel strips can be buckled.'
The relatively weak nature of this type of palisade means that an extra rail has to be added: this can give uninvited guests a useful advantage in gaining a purchase. As such, 2.4m-high fencing is the norm explains Rowles. It's worth bearing in mind, too, that an operator must contact the local Planning Department it planning to install a fence over 2m high.
Many hauliers would relish the idea of those pesky thieves getting caught up in a wire fence, just like Steve McQueen in the Great Escape. But there are limitations to the type of barriers an operator can erect. Electric fencing sounds the stuff of prisoner-of-war camps, but it can be legally erected in the UK (see panel on laws surrounding perimeter fencing). It can be damned effective, too. A substantial 7,500 volt charge runs through the Amercian-manufactured Power Fence, which is a handy way of preventing would-be intruders from scaling a fence. Consisting of a series of wires, it is designed to stand atop an existing wall or fence; its wires can also extend behind a perimeter in case a burglar gains access. it is designed to inflict pain, but no lasting damage. The Power Fence costs between £60 and £75 per metre to install.