What is this...thing? White pole with red markings

[qwertyK]

Seen quite a few of these about but never had a clue what they were. Can anyone enlighten me? I can make out "gas" on there but what about it?
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.6105778 ... 384!8i8192

[Chris Bertram]

Seen quite a few of these about but never had a clue what they were. Can anyone enlighten me? I can make out "gas" on there but what about it?
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.6105778 ... 384!8i8192

I think they serve to help overhead surveyors locate the lines of buried mains across fields. May also be used for electricity cables.

[darkcape]

In this case its to mark a gas line.

[Ruperts Trooper]

In this case its to mark a gas line.

White poles with red caps seem to be used generally for major underground pipes/cables - we have the UK Oil Pipeline running through the middle of our estate marked by white poles with a red "roof" cap.

[avtur]

Seen quite a few of these about but never had a clue what they were. Can anyone enlighten me? I can make out "gas" on there but what about it?
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.6105778 ... 384!8i8192

As others have said, its a pipeline marker. There are 1,000's of km's of underground pipeline running under the UK carrying oil and gas. There are usually details of the pipeline (it's size and contents and operating pressure) either on the pole itself or on separate marker post positioned very close to the pole. They are a visual aid for aerials surveys of the pipelines.

The oil element of underground pipelines dates back to 1941 when is was developed to allow the distribution of fuels as part of the war effort. It was government owned and run by an organisation called GPSS, Government Pipelines and Storage System. It consisted of the pipe network, input terminals, storage & distribution terminals. At it's maximum there were 2,600 km's of pipeline and 40+ terminals on the system, however some elements of the system are no longer in use but there are now a number of additional commercially operated pipeline systems around the country.

In 2015 the entire GPSS system was sold to a Spanish Operator called CLH Pipeline Systems, by this time the system was in need of a great deal of investment and the government weren't prepared to pay choosing instead to sell it (at what some described as a knock down price) to CLH who would then invest in the system. Given the strategic importance of the system the sale raised a few eyebrows.

There is plenty of information about the system in the public domain, while this might sound conter intuitive from a security point of view, a frequent problem has been construction machinery accidentally damaging the submerged pipes, so it is very important that the position of the pipelines can be easily identified.

[skiddaw05]

You need to get permission to use machinery near one of these pipelines. There was a time (possibly not any more?) when there would comprehensive surveillance by helicopter by the pipeline owner and apparently anyone spotted working nearby who didn't have permission would be descended upon and ordered to stop

[avtur]

You need to get permission to use machinery near one of these pipelines. There was a time (possibly not any more?) when there would comprehensive surveillance by helicopter by the pipeline owner and apparently anyone spotted working nearby who didn't have permission would be descended upon and ordered to stop

Indeed, but gaining permission requires the contractor to have knowledge the they are working close a pipeline, hence the need for location information to be in the public domain. Aerial surveillance of pipelines has always been about maintenance and leak detection not about going out to specifically look for authorized works, that would be an impossible task.