GB2311201A

GB2311201A - System for securing strip material in ground to form a barrier

Info

Publication number: GB2311201A
Application number: GB9705914A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Charles Stephen Lyons
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-03-21
Filing date: 1997-03-21
Publication date: 1997-09-24
Also published as: GB9705914D0

Abstract

A method of securing one or more strips to form a barrier in ground by securing one or more strip holding devices along the run of the desired barrier, which devices each comprise a ground-engaging support, e.g. a spike 1, and a pair of horizontally-spaced walls 3,7 connected thereto and defining between them a slot 6 capable of receiving and holding the strip and including installing a strip in the slots between the side walls to hold it firmly in place. The strip holding device may have, instead of the spaced walls 3,7, a projection which engages in a slot provided in the strip to hold the strip firmly in place.

Description

SYSTEM FOR SECURING STRIP MATERIAL IN GROUND TO FORM A BARRIER Technical Field The present invention relates to a system for securing strips for example to form the edge of flower beds, lawns, paths, driveways, terracing, steps and indeed any situation in which a small physical barrier is required in the ground.

The present invention will find its primary use in gardening and do-it-yourself ("DIY") but the present invention has wider application in parks, the countryside and the building industry.

Background Art It is often required to install small physical barriers (e.g. up to a height of approximately one foot (30 cm)) for example to provide edging on lawns, to form shuttering for the laying of concrete paths and driveways, for making concrete bases of greenhouses and sheds, to form a gravel board at the base of a wooden fence to prevent the wooden fencing panels or boards from coming into contact with the ground, to form the risers of steps in paths or walkways, to form terracing or to mark the edges of flowerbeds or other areas. The present invention is applicable to form barriers in such situations.

If a barrier has ground or soil (or other solid support) on one side, the barrier can be secured in place by supporting one face against such solid support and driving stakes into the ground adjacent to the other side of the barrier to keep it firmly against the support.

Such a method can be used when constructing the risers of paths, the edges of lawns or the edge shuttering or edge support of a trench for forming paths or driveways that, when laid, will be flush with the ground. If, however, the barrier has to stand proud of the ground, it is necessary to dig a trench to bury (and hold) the bottom part of the barrier or to haunch it with concrete or cement on one or more sides. If the barrier has only a relatively small part buried underground, the barrier will not generally be secured fast. A common feature of the prior art is that the anchoring of such barriers is time consuming and there is a requirement for a quick and secure method of anchoring such barriers or strips.

Disclosure of the Invention According to the present invention, there is provided a method of securing one or more strips to form a barrier in ground (for example in gardens, parks or countryside), which method comprises fixing one or more strip holding devices along the run of the desired barrier, which devices each comprise a ground-engaging means and a pair of horizontallyspaced walls connected thereto and defining between them a slot capable of receiving and holding the strip, the method further including installing a strip in the slots between the side walls to hold it firmly in place to form the said barrier.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for holding a barrier or strip, which device comprises a ground-engaging means which is capable of being firmly secured to the ground and a pair of horizontally-spaced-apart walls forming between them a slot for holding said barrier or strip.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit comprising said device as defined in the previous paragraph and a plurality of strips having a thickness such that each can be inserted into the slot between the side walls and held rigidly thereby.

The or each strip must be rigid or semi-rigid, e.g. made of concrete, stone, ceramic, wood or plastics. It may be straight or curved. Examples include decorated tiles or moulded concrete strips for forming the edge of flower beds, wooden, stone or concrete edging kerbs and wooden or plastic shuttering.

The ground-engaging means can be a spike that can be hammered into the ground to secure a strip holding device in place. Such a spike can have vertical flanges (i.e. flanges lying in the same plane as the axis of the spike) to guide the spike into the ground and prevent the spike against rocking movement, which would loosen the spike; such flanged spikes are known and are used, for example, in Metpost fence securing posts (Metpost is a trade mark). Alternatively, the ground-engaging means may be a helical screw for example in the shape of a screwed thread so that it can be screwed into the ground to hold it in place.

When the ground engaging means is embedded in the ground, e.g. if it is a spike or a helical screw, it preferably includes a surface that limits the depth to which the ground engaging means is embedded. Such a surface may be a flange at the top of the spike or screw or it may be part of the slot that holds the barrier or strip.

A further alternative ground-engaging means can be used in conjunction with a firm base, for example a pre-cast concrete base sunk into the ground. In this case, the groundengaging means can be a flange that can be secured to such a base, for example with the aid of bolts, which may be imbedded in the base and pass through pre-drilled holes in the flange, in which case, the flange can be secured to the base by nuts; alternatively, the base can include anchoring devices into which bolts can be screwed.

The pair of spaced-apart walls can be formed with a base so as to form, with the walls, a cradle for holding the barrier or strip. However, such a base is not required and, when not provided, the base of the barrier or strip will be supported on the ground.

The device of the present invention preferably also includes means for engaging the strip in the slot to ensure that the strip fits tightly in the slot and/or to prevent it being removed therefrom. Such engaging means may include one or more teeth provided on one or both inner faces of the walls defining the slot to engage or strip when inserted into the slot.

Such teeth usefully perform two functions. Firstly, they prevents the barrier or strip from being removed once it has been inserted into the slot between the walls. Secondly, the barrier or strip may not be of uniform size as a result of manufacturing variations. The teeth will engage with the barrier or strip as it is pushed into the slot and the degree by which the teeth are deformed by the insertion of the strip will depend on the thickness of the barrier or strip concerned. The resilience of the teeth will clamp the strip against the opposed wall of the slot and, in this way, a range of strip thicknesses can be accommodated whilst holding the strip rigidly in the slot between the side walls.

Alternatively, the clamping means may be a grub screw that it screwed through one of the walls of the slot and engage the strip and either pass through or into the strip or urge it against the opposed slot wall. The same effect can be achieved by making the walls of the slot resilient or joining the walls by some element (e.g. the base of the slot) that is resilient.

In one embodiment, the ground-engaging means is a spike that can be driven into the ground, for example with a sledge or club hammer. In this embodiment, an integral extension of the spike may form one of the walls of the slot for holding the strip and it is the extension that is hit by the hammer in order to drive the spike into the ground.

However, the action of the hammer on the extension can deform, burr and flatten the extension and this can obstruct the slot and prevent the barrier or strip from being inserted therein. In order to avoid this, the top of the extension is preferably chamfered.

It is not essential for the walls defining the slot to be integral with the ground engaging means and in one embodiment, the walls form one part and the ground engaging means form a separate part. Such an embodiment allows the two parts to be made from different materials, e.g. the walls may be made of plastics material and the ground engaging means of metal. This means that the most appropriate materials may be chosen for each part, the metal that the ground engaging means having the strength to be driven into the ground while the plastics material of the side walls provides corrosion resistance and resilience to maintain the strip in the slot, as described above. In such an arrangement, the part comprising the walls also includes a sleeve and the ground engaging means engages the sleeve (e.g. by passing through, or by being secured in, a bore in the sleeve) and thereby holds the two parts rigidly together.

In its simplest and most preferred embodiment, the present invention is generally "Y"- shaped comprising a spike having a sharpened lower portion for driving into the ground, and a cradle comprising two side walls and a base for holding the strip, one of said walls being generally co-linear with (and optionally integral with) the spike.

The device of the present invention may incorporate a socket for securing a fencing post, in which case it is preferred that the said spaced-apart side walls forming a slot for the strip or barrier is formed on the side of the socket.

Although the present invention has been defined in terms of a slot for receiving a strip, it will be appreciated that instead, in place of the said spaced-apart side walls, a slot (which term includes a socket) can be provided in the strip and the device of the present invention will then have means for engaging that slot to hold the strip, such means generally being a peg or pin.

Detailed Description of the Drawings Various configurations of the arrangement of the present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which are views of devices of the present invention.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments Referring initially to Figure 1, there is provided a spike 1 made from wrought-steel or impact-resistant cast iron and having a sharpened end 2 and a top end 3. Butt-welded to the side of the spike is an L-shaped piece of wrought steel 4. One arm of the "L" forms the base 5 of a cradle 6, while the other arm 7 of the "L" forms one of the side walls of the cradle, the other side wall being provided by the upper part 3 of the spike 1. The top surface 12 of the spike 1 is chamfered so that, when struck by a hammer to drive the spike 1 into the ground, the top surface does not splay out and spread over into the cradle area.

In use, the spike 1 is driven into the ground by striking the top surface 12 with a hammer. The base 5 limits the extent to which the spike can readily be driven and so the cradle 6 remains above the level of the ground. A strip 9 having approximately the same width W as cradle 6 can then be pushed into the slot formed between the side walls 3, 7 of the cradle 6 and in this way, the strip is held upright by the cradle 6).

In order to snugly accommodate a strip in the cradle 6 when the barrier is formed on sloping ground which would mean that the base of the strip would not lie flush against the square-sectioned base 5 but rather would be supported on a sharp edge thereof, the base 5 (and the rest of the device may be of round (or any other) cross-section.

In the drawings and in the following description, identical reference numbers have been used to indicate corresponding parts; such parts, once described in connection with one Figure, has generally been omitted in connection with subsequent Figures, where it would be merely repetitious and therefore superfluous.

The arrangement of Figure 2 is identical to that of Figure 1 except that the cradle 6 is offset from the spike 1 so that no part of the cradle 6 is formed by an extension of the spike 1. Such a "cranked" arrangement is useful in two situations: firstly, when the barrier is to be formed in an area where the ground engaging means cannot get a good anchorage, e.g. at a cliff edge or in an eroded area, or where ground engaging means cannot be secured because it will cause damage, e.g. where the barrier is to be erected above electricity cables. Secondly, where the barrier forms shuttering for concrete paths or foundations or forms the edge of a path, driveway etc, the ground engaging means will be more securely anchored if placed underneath the concrete, the path etc rather than under the edge.

The arrangement of Figure 3 is the same as that previously described in Figure 1 except that it includes two cradles 6 at right angles to each other so that two strips can be butted against each other to form a corner in a barrier or strip run.

The arrangement shown in Figure 4 is essentially the same as that described in connection with Figure 3 except that one of the cradles 6' is offset from the spike 1 by a section 16.

Again, this arrangement can be used for forming the corner of a strip run or barrier.

The arrangement shown in Figure 5 is essentially the same as that shown in connection with Figure 1 except a further cradle 18 is provided, which is connected to the spike 1 by a section 20. This arrangement can hold a strip more rigidly than the single cradle of the arrangement in Figure 1 and so prevents the strip from twisting in the cradle; however, the same effect can be achieved by using two or more of the Figure 1 arrangements to hold each length of strip or by extending one or both of the sidewalls 3,7 in the direction E shown in Figure 1.

The arrangement shown in Figure 5 also is capable of holding two strips butted together in the region between the two cradles.

The arrangement of Figure 6 is essentially the same as that of Figure 2 except the cradle 6 is provided at right angles to the section 15.

The arrangement of Figure 7 is the same as that of Figure 3 except that the two cradles 6 have been offset by a section 22.

The arrangement of Figure 8 is essentially the same as that of Figure 7 except the two cradles 6 have been further offset by a section 24.

The arrangement of Figure 9 is the same as that of Figure 5 except the two cradles 6 have been offset from the spike by a section 26.

With reference to Figure 10, there is shown a cradle 6 and spike 1 in side view; the inner surface of one wall of the cradle includes barbed teeth 28 that fulfil two functions.

Firstly, they prevent the strip or barrier, once it has been inserted into the cradle, from being removed (or at least makes it more difficult to do so) since the teeth 28 engage the side of the strip or barrier. Secondly, all barriers will not be of identical thicknesses because of manufacturing variations. In order to accommodate barriers of differing thicknesses, the teeth 28 can bite into the barrier (for example if made of wood) or the teeth 28 can be deformed by the action of the strip being pushed into the cradle, such as would be the case if the barrier were made of concrete. In this way, the manufacture of strips or barriers of exact tolerances is unnecessary.

It will be appreciated that the inner surfaces of both walls 3,7 of the cradle may include barbed teeth 28.

In Figure 11, a barrier 30 is shown having a furrow 32. The cradle 6 includes a pair of opposed barbed teeth 34 at the entrance to the cradle. The top surfaces of the teeth 34 are sloping so that when the strip is pushed into the cradle, the outer wall 36 flexes to allow the barrier to be pushed past the teeth into the cradle. Once the barrier has been inserted into the cradle, the teeth 34 engage in the furrow 32 to hold the barrier in position.

Figure 12 shows an arrangement for accommodating barriers of different thicknesses.

According to this embodiment, one or both side walls 3,7 of a cradle 6 can have a screw threaded bolt hole 38, into which a bolt 40 can be threaded. The strip can then be held in position within the cradle 6 by screwing bolt 4 against or into the strip. A furrow 32 (see Figure 11) can be provided in the strip or barrier to receive the screw.

Alternatively, the screw can merely compress the strip or barrier within the cradle. Such an arrangement prevents the barrier from being lifted out and also allows for the accommodation of different widths of strip within a standard cradle size.

An alternative method of accommodating strips or barriers of different widths within the cradle is to hammer a chock or wedge into the cradle to urge the barrier against one of the side walls of the cradle. To avoid the use of such wedges the width of the cradle is preferably just larger than the industry standard for the strip of interest so the strip fit snugly into the cradle.

The arrangement of Figure 13 shows a standard fence post having a spike 1, a collar forming a socket 50 secured or securable thereto. A fencing post (not shown) can be hammered into the socket 50. Alternatively the socket can be used to accommodate a decorated finial, especially when the barrier being formed is made out of decorated strips (including decorated tiles). The socket may, instead, be capped off. Two pairs of side walls 52 are welded to the socket 50 to form a pair of slots 54 to hold a strip, which can be secured in place by screwing bolts or screws (not shown) into threaded holes 38; alternatively by strip could be secured by nails. Such an arrangement is particularly beneficial in providing a concrete gravel board at the base of a wooden fence to prevent the wooden fencing panels from resting directly on the ground.

The fixings of Figures 14 to 17 are identical to those of Figure 13 except they include different configurations of sidewalls 52 and slots 54 to allow different of patterns of barriers. Such fixings can hold strips at the ends and the middle of a straight or curved barrier or at corners and cross-over points.

The fixings of Figures 18 to 22 are the same as those of Figures 13 to 17 except, instead of having side walls 52 defining a slot 54, a rigid tongue or tenon 56 is provided that mates with a corresponding groove or mortise 58 in the end of a barrier 60 (see Figure 55); the groove or mortise 58 can extend along the whole height of the strip or only over part of it (as shown). In the former case, the fixing may include a support to hold the strip off the ground.

The side walls 52 and slots 54 can be offset horizontally or vertically on the socket 50, as shown in Figure 23, which shows a vertical offset for use on a slope; a similar arrangement but using tongues 56 is shown in Figure 24.

The slots 54 and the tongues 56 need not have parallel straight side walls and they can be off any configuration to form a joint with a correspondingly shaped end of a barrier.

For example, in Figures 25 to 34, the slots 54 and tongues 56 have a dovetail configuration to form a dovetail joint with a correspondingly shaped end of a barrier (not shown).

A further arrangement for securing the barriers or strips is illustrated in connection with Figures 35 to 46 in which pegs 60 are provided in place of the side wall and slot arrangement described above. In this case, the barrier 61 has corresponding sockets 62 (see Figure 56) into which the pegs 60 are received to hold the strip in place. The pegs are preferably held in the sockets, once inserted. This may be achieved by matching the diameters of the pegs and sockets or by sliding a sleeve of a resilient material between the peg and the socket so that the sleeved peg is tightly received in the socket.

The pegs 60 need not be of circular cross section and any cross section is acceptable (see for example Figure 43); one preferred form is to provide the peg with a series of barbed teeth or ridges 64 (see Figure 57) that engage in the sockets 62 and prevent the barrier being removed from the peg.

It is not essential for a fencing post socket 50 to be provided and, when omitted, it is possible to have an arrangement of tongues 56 as shown in Figures 47 to 51 that engage corresponding slots 58 in the end of the barrier 60 (see Figure 55).

The side walls 52 and slots 54 can be offset from the spike 1, as shown in Figure 52.

In order to provide a parallel run of barriers, two sets of offset sockets 50 and associated side walls 52 and slots 54 can be provided on top of a single spike (see Figure 53).

Indeed, structures can be set up containing multiple socket and slot arrangements (see Figure 54). Such arrangements can be useful in forming paths where the width W between the sockets is calculated to correspond to the desired width of the path. Adjacent frameworks such as those illustrated in Figure 54 can be joined together, for example by hook and eyes 64, 66. It will be appreciated that, in the arrangement shown in Figure 54, rigid rods (not shown) having a hook at one end and an eye at the other end can be provided for engaging, respectively, the eyes 66 and hooks 64 of adjacent structures. The barrier strips held by such arrangement can be used to form the shuttering for forming a concrete path or for forming the edging kerb of such a path. Using such ganged fixings, a path can be rapidly created and avoids the need for separately supporting formwork that was necessary hitherto.

Figure 58 shows an alternative arrangement to that of Figure 26 where, instead of a dovetail tongue 56, a cylindrical projection 66 is provided that engages with a corresponding socket (not shown) in the end of the strip. Such an arrangement can allow the strip to be placed at an angle to the socket 50 by pivoting the barrier about the cylindrical projection 66.

The side walls and slots 52, 54 need not be integral with the spike and, for example, an arrangement is shown in Figure 59 in which these parts are separate. The side walls 52 are mounted on a back plate 70. The four side faces of the socket 50 each includes a pocket 71 formed by wings 72 that are spaced apart from the socket wall 50 so that the back plate 70 can be slid into the pocket between the wings 72 and the sidewall 74 of the socket 50 to hold the back plate and side wall combination rigidly. Such an arrangement has the advantage over those shown in Figures 13 to 17 in that side walls 52 and slots 54 need only be placed on those faces of the socket where it is desired to secure a barrier strip.

An alternative arrangement is shown in Figure 60, where instead of the back plate slot arrangements of Figure 59, a hook 26 is welded to the back plate 70 and hooks over the side wall 74 of the socket 50. Because fence posts are generally be made of wood and will be deformable, such a fence post (not shown) can push past the hook 76 and indeed the fence post will hold the hook firmly in place, thereby securing the back plate and side wall configuration 52, 70 in place.

In order to allow barriers to be run up or down slopes, an arrangement such as that illustrated in Figure 61 may be provided. In this case, a peg 60 on the top of a spike 1 (or as described in connection with Figures 35 to 56) may be provided and a corresponding socket 78 provided within the strip 75. The socket 78 may have a generally triangular shape so that the peg 60 can still be secured within the socket 78 even though the barrier does not extend at right angles to the axis of the peg. The top of the peg 60 of Figure 61 is rounded to allow easy pivoting within the socket 78.

Alternative arrangements for securing a barrier on a slope are shown in connection with Figures 62, 63 in which one or more tongues 56 may be rotatable about corresponding pivots 80. Such tongues can engage with grooves 58 in the end face of the barrier (see Figure 55), as previously described.

As an alternative to the arrangement of Figure 1, the cradle 6 and the spike are not integral. In this case (see Figure 64), a sleeve 80 is integral with the cradle and defines a rectangular-sectioned bore 82 through which the spike 1 can pass. The spike 1 has a head 84. The spike 1 is passed through the sleeve 82 and driven into the ground with a hammer. The spike will hold the cradle firmly. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 65, the bore 82 can be blind, in which case, the head of the spike includes means, such as teeth 90 to engage in the blind bore 82. In the arrangement of Figure 65, the spike will first be driven into the ground and then the sleeve secured to it by pusting the bore 82 onto the teeth of the spike.

The metal parts will generally be galvanised or coated with corrosion-resistant paint.

The present invention is particularly useful for holding strips in the form of decorated tiles or moulded concrete strips for forming the edges of flowerbeds or lawns.

A further important use of the present invention is in forming edging kerbs in paths, where the two side edging kerbs of the path are held by the arrangement of the present invention with the region between the edging kerbs being filled in with, for example, concrete, bricks, pavers or slabs.

Another important use of the present invention is to hold shuttering while casting concrete, for example for the base of a shed or greenhouse.

A final use that may be mentioned is for holding risers when forming steps or terracing on a hillside or bank. Other uses will be readily be appreciated by the skilled man.

Claims

1. A method of securing one or more strips to form a barrier in ground, which method comprises fixing one or more strip holding devices along the run of the desired barrier, which devices each comprise a ground-engaging means and a pair of horizontallyspaced walls connected thereto and defining between them a slot capable of receiving and holding the strip, the method further including installing a strip in the slots between the side walls to hold it firmly in place.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ground-engaging means is a spike.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the spike has flanges lying in the same plane as the axis of the spike.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ground-engaging means is a helical screw.

5. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ground engaging means is embedded in the ground and wherein the strip holding device includes a surface that limits the depth to which the ground engaging means is embedded.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ground is in the form of a firm base and wherein the ground-engaging means is a flange that can be secured to the base.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the flange is secured to the base with the aid of bolts.

8. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the strip holding device includes a base located between the pair of spaced-apart walls to form, with the walls, a cradle for holding the strip.

9. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the strip holding device includes means for retaining the strip in the slot between the pair of spaced-apart walls.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the securing means comprises one or more teeth provided on one or both inner faces of the walls defining the slot to engage the strip when inserted into the slot.

11. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the clamping means comprises a screw that passes through one of the walls defining the slot and engage the strip and urge it against the opposed wall defining the slot.

12. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the walls of the slot are resilient or are joined together by a resilient element.

13. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ground-engaging means is embedded in the ground and an integral extension of the groundengaging means forms one of the walls of the slot.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the ground-engaging means is a spike and the top of the extension is burred or chamfered.

15. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the strip holding device is formed as two parts, the first part comprising the walls defining the slot and the second part comprising the ground engaging means and wherein the two parts are secured together.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first part comprises a sleeve, including a bore and the ground engaging means engages in the bore in the sleeve to hold the two parts rigidly together.

17. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strip holding device is generally "Y"-shaped comprising a spike having a sharpened lower portion for driving into the ground, and the two side walls define a cradle having a base holding the strip, one of said walls being generally co-linear with the spike.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the said one wall that is generally colinear with the spike is integral with the spike.

19. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the strip holding device includes a socket for securing a fencing post.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the said spaced-apart side walls forming a slot are secured on a side wall of the socket.

21. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the strip holding device includes, instead of the said spaced-apart side walls, a projection which is engaged in a slot provided in the strip or barrier.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the projection is a peg or a tongue and the slot provided in the strip is a socket.

23 A device for holding strip for forming a barrier, which arrangement comprises a ground-engaging means which is capable of being firmly secured to the ground and a pair of horizontally-spaced-apart walls forming between them a slot for holding said strip.

24. A device as claimed in claim 23, wherein the ground-engaging means is a spike.

25. A device as claimed in claim 24, wherein the spike has flanges lying in the same plane as the axis of the spike.

26. A device as claimed in claim 23, wherein the groundengaging means is a helical screw.

27. A device as claimed in any one of claims 24 to 26, which includes a surface that limits the depth to which the ground engaging means is embedded.

28. A device as claimed in claim 23, wherein the ground-engaging means is a flange that can be secured to a base.

29. A device as claimed in claim 28, wherein the flange includes bolt holes.

30. A device as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 29, which includes a base located between the pair of spaced-apart walls to form, with the walls, a cradle for holding the strip.

31. A device as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 30, which includes means for engaging the strip in the slot to ensure that the strip fits tightly in the slot and/or to prevent it being removed therefrom.

32 A device as claimed in claim 31, wherein the engaging means comprises one or more teeth provided on one or both inner faces of the walls defining the slot to engage the strip when inserted into the slot.

33. A device as claimed in claim 31, wherein the engaging means comprises a screw that passes through one of the walls defining the slot and engage the strip and urge it against the opposed wall defining the slot.

34. A device as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 33, wherein the walls of the slot are resilient or are joined together by a resilient element.

35. A device as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 26, wherein an integral extension of the ground-engaging means forms one of the walls of the slot.

36. A device as claimed in claim 23, wherein the ground-engaging means is a spike and the top of the extension is burred or chamfered.

37. A device as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 36, which comprises two parts, the first part comprising the walls defining the slot and the second part comprising the ground engaging means and wherein the two parts are securable together.

38. A device as claimed in claim 37, wherein the first part comprises a sleeve, including a bore and the ground engaging means engages in the bore in the sleeve to hold the two parts rigidly together.

39. A device.as claimed in claim 23, which is generally "Y"-shaped and comprises a spike having a sharpened lower portion for driving into the ground, and the two side walls define a cradle having a base holding the strip, one of said walls being generally co-linear with the spike.

40. A device as claimed in claim 39, wherein the said one wall that is generally colinear with the spike is integral with the spike.

41. A device as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 38, which includes a socket for securing a fencing post.

42. A device as claimed in claim 41, wherein the said spaced-apart side walls forming a slot are secured on a side wall of the socket.

43. A device as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 42, wherein, instead of the said spaced-apart side walls, the arrangement includes a projection which is engaged in a slot provided in the strip or barrier.

44. A device as claimed in claim 43, wherein the projection is a peg or a tongue and the slot provided in the strip is a socket.

45 A kit comprising a plurality of strip securing devices as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 44 in combination or association with a plurality of strips having a thickness such that each can be inserted into the slot between the side walls of said devices and held rigidly thereby.

46 A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strip holding devices is substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in any one of Figures 1 to 65 of the accompanying drawings.

47 A device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in any one of Figures 1 to 65 of the accompanying drawings.

48 A kit comprising a plurality of strip securing devices as claimed in claim 47 in combination or association with a plurality of strips having a thickness such that each can be inserted into the slot between the side walls of said devices and held rigidly thereby.