Leichhardt's Victorian terraces and workers' cottages were wired long before anyone imagined the loads they carry now, and much of that supply still runs overhead down rear lanes on ageing private poles and brackets. High Demand Electrical is a Level 2 ASP accredited contractor (Licence 397193C) making storm-damaged poles and attachments safe across Leichhardt and reconnecting supply to the Ausgrid network.
Storm Damage Power Pole Repair in Leichhardt
In the inner west the private pole is often at the back of the property in a lane, with the span crossing over a shared yard and a point of attachment bolted to brickwork or a tired timber parapet. When a storm moves that, several properties can lose supply at once.
Our crews cover Leichhardt, Annandale, Lilyfield, Haberfield, Petersham and Rozelle with 24/7 emergency power pole service, on-site fallen pole make-safe and same-day repair where the lane can be accessed.
How Urgent Is Your Storm-Damaged Pole?
Why Leichhardt Private Poles Fail in Storms
Leichhardt's housing stock is old — Victorian and Federation terraces and cottages on narrow lots, most of them with rear lane access. The overhead supply arrangements grew up with those houses, which means short private poles in lanes and back yards, spans crossing between buildings, and points of attachment fixed to parapets, fascias and brickwork that have been weathering for well over a century. The bracket is often the oldest part of the installation.
Street trees do the rest. The mature planting through Leichhardt's streets is a genuine asset and also the main reason we get called out after a storm: a limb across a span in a narrow lane has nowhere to go but onto the line. On narrow lots the span often runs close to gutters and walls, so cable chafe is common even before a branch arrives.
Leichhardt is in the Inner West Council area and is supplied by Ausgrid. Ausgrid owns and maintains the numbered street poles; a private pole in your yard or lane, and the service running from it to your meter box, is the owner's responsibility. On shared arrangements that responsibility is shared too, which is worth establishing in writing.
Choose Your Situation — See What We Do
What Happens When Your Leichhardt Pole Comes Down
- Keep clear. Stay at least 8 metres from any conductor on the ground — in a narrow lane keep people out of the lane entirely. Report downed wires to Ausgrid on 13 13 88, then call us.
- Emergency make-safe. Our Level 2 crew isolates the supply, secures or removes the pole and clears the lane or yard so neighbours can get past.
- Assessment. We check the butt below ground line, the cross arms, the service cable and the point of attachment, including old brackets bolted into masonry or parapet timber.
- Repair or replacement. That may be a cross arm replacement, a new point of attachment, a new service cable, or an emergency pole replacement.
- Reconnection. We handle the disconnection, reconnection and Ausgrid network notification in-house.
From Storm-Damaged to Reconnected — Click Through the 6 Steps
Storm Damage We Repair Across Leichhardt
The inner west storm damage we attend most in Leichhardt looks like this:
- Point of attachment failure — century-old brackets pulling out of parapets, fascias or soft brickwork.
- Street tree limb strikes — branches landing on spans that cross narrow lanes with no clearance.
- Chafed service cable — runs rubbing on gutters, walls and branches until the sheath fails.
- Rotted lane poles — short private poles with ground-line decay, replaced under private power pole installation.
- Broken cross arms on shared spans — taking out supply to more than one property at a time.
- Undersized or damaged consumer mains — upgraded with consumer mains installation.
Insurance & What’s Usually Covered
What's typically NOT covered: wear-and-tear, gradual rot or rust, or failure caused by a pre-existing defect notice you hadn't rectified. Our written cause report helps insurers distinguish sudden events from gradual failure — and we handle insurance claims every week.
FAQs
The pole in the lane behind my terrace supplies several houses. Who is responsible?
If it is not a numbered Ausgrid pole, it is a private pole shared by the properties it supplies, and those owners share responsibility for it. Shared lane poles are very common in Leichhardt. We provide a written condition report identifying what the pole serves, which is usually what neighbours need to sort out cost sharing.
I live in a unit block. Who handles a storm-damaged pole or attachment?
On strata property the common-property electrical infrastructure — including a private pole, the service line and the main switchboard supply — is normally the owners corporation's responsibility, not an individual lot owner's. Contact your strata manager, and we can deal with them directly and provide the report and quote they will need.
I live in a unit block. Who handles a storm-damaged pole or attachment?
On strata property the common-property electrical infrastructure — including a private pole, the service line and the main switchboard supply — is normally the owners corporation's responsibility, not an individual lot owner's. Contact your strata manager, and we can deal with them directly and provide the report and quote they will need.
The bracket has pulled out of my parapet. Can it just be re-bolted?
Not usually. When an old point of attachment lets go it normally takes the surrounding brick or timber with it, so the fix is a properly engineered new attachment into sound material rather than a bolt back into damaged masonry. We assess what the wall or fascia can actually carry before refitting.
A council street tree brought down my service line. Is that my problem?
The damaged private service is still yours to repair, regardless of which tree caused it. Get the line made safe and repaired first, then take the question of the tree up with the council separately. We can document the cause and the damage in writing, which helps with both council and insurance.
Can you work in a narrow rear lane?
Yes — it is standard inner west work for us. Lane access dictates the plant we bring and sometimes requires temporary lane closure arrangements. We plan that before the job rather than turning up and finding the truck will not fit.
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