A UK gas distributor has specified prison-style double skin steel mesh and special fence toppings to secure its gas distribution network across the north of England. The company turned to the fencing manufacturer Zaun and its HiSec DualSkin and Flexible Steel Topping (FST) products, pictured.
Zaun says that its HiSec DualSkin has been designed for sites that need a more secure solution and features two layers of the traditional HiSec 358 welded mesh with 76.2mm x 12.7mm open mesh sections. These double skin 358 panels are welded together with the secondary panel turned 90 degrees to make a very tight 12.7mm x 12.7mm mesh configuration, which is difficult to cut and almost impossible to climb.
The apertures eliminate foot and finger holds for people trying to climb or gain access to the site, prevent objects being passed through and are highly resistant against the use of hand or power cutting tools.
HiSec DualSkin conforms to BS1722 Part 14 Category 4 and has been used the makers add in prisons and by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to protect assets.
The FST topping system that tops the fence is tested for use in UK high security prisons. At the heart of FST is a steel mesh arch, curved back over the top of a steel fence, fixed to a flexible steel bracket that is designed to move when people try to climb it.
The distributor delivers gas to 2.7 million homes and businesses and around 6.7 million people in the North East, Northern Cumbria and much of Yorkshire through a network of 37,000km of gas pipes – enough to stretch from Leeds to Sydney, Australia and back. At periods of peak demand, the network transports four times as much energy as the electricity networks to large cities such as Newcastle, Sunderland, Leeds, York, Hull and Bradford and rural areas including North Yorkshire and Cumbria.
