This Is Guernsey

By Simon Tostevin

LOTTERY winner Ross Le Brun is making the most of his windfall.

The 29-year-old (pictured) had only just set up his own business, Mole Excavating, when he scratched his way to a £20,000 top prize four weeks ago.

He has invested a proportion of his winnings into the fledgling company that specialises in trenchless service laying. And now that his lottery win has started to sink in, Mr Le Brun is ready to crack on with his business, which he claims is the only one of its kind in Guernsey.

‘I’ve done only a few jobs, but it’s just a matter now of getting the word out. The money definitely came in useful. It helped with getting the signwriting and other bits and pieces for the business sorted out.’

He offers an alternative to people who do not want to see their driveway or garden dug up to lay underground pipes and cables for water, oil and gas or general garden-irrigation purposes.

Instead, Mr Le Brun digs two entry pits on the property for the mole machine.

The soil-displacement hammer will then drive a horizontal hole from one pit to the other to allow the pipe or cable to be laid through.

‘It’s a far better option then getting in a large company which will dig up trenches across your garden or your drive to lay the cable.

‘This method will leave small patches but they will be a lot less noticeable.

‘With grass, you will not even notice that it has been dug up.’

Mr Le Brun said it was not as easy as some people might suspect. He learnt the art from an early age, helping out his dad from time to time.

‘You can count on one hand how many people are good at using a mole. My success rate is good and I’m confident about going out on my own to do it.

‘You can’t drive 200 metres in Guernsey without seeing a building site, but if the work dries up, it dries up.’

He said it was important to raise awareness about this type of work.

‘Not many people know about this machine, which is a shame because it’s cheaper and easier and the disruption is much less.’

Mr Le Brun, who was not out of work when he claimed the £20,000 prize, as some initial media reports had suggested, said he had yet to really celebrate his win.

‘It didn’t really sink in until I saw the money in the bank account.’

He is now using the rest of the money to do up his and girlfriend’s home.

‘It’s a work in progress.

‘We bought a burnt-out house two years ago and we have got it to a good standard, but we had still to do the back garden.

‘But now that we have got the money, I can be pretty extravagant with it.’

Article posted on 4th July, 2008 - 2.30pm