UK contractor will fit hundreds of excavators with RodRadar's Live Dig Radar to prevent costly underground utility strikes
Network Plus, a UK utility and infrastructure contractor, is rolling out RodRadar's Live Dig Radar (LDR) technology across its fleet of more than 200 excavators under a multi-year partnership announced July 22, 2026. The AI-based ground-penetrating radar system, distributed in the UK by Machinetech, is built into a 30-centimetre digging bucket and alerts operators in real time when it detects underground utilities. According to University of Birmingham research cited in the announcement, the UK records more than 60,000 utility strikes annually, at an estimated cost of £2.4 billion. Dave Fleming, head of plant at Network Plus, called the technology a game changer for risk management.
