A key customer requirement has driven the steel mesh fencing manufacturer, Zaun, to an outstanding performance in security tests.

A development fencing system based on Zaun’s CorruSec resisted serious attempts at forced entry for over 20 minutes with tools including reciprocating saws and angle grinders in independent tests by Buildings Research Establishment (BRE) assessors.

“We believe this may be a world record for a fencing system,” said Zaun founder and director Alastair Henman on returning from the test.

Independent testers from BRE mounted a sustained attack on the Zaun development fence, loosely based on an SR5 ‘serious attempt at forced entry’.

They used top end battery power cutting tools including an awesome 750W reciprocating saw with specialist blades used by fire and rescue teams and 18V circular saws, jigsaws and disk grinders, axes including an 850mm felling axe, a hooligan bar, 1.5kg lump hammer and 500mm long bolt cutters.

They were trying to create a ‘man-sized’ 600mm square hole in the fence line – larger than the 450mm x 225mm that is part of the SR5 test.

Henman said: “Even with this astonishing arsenal, testers took more than 20 minutes to create this larger breach.  The fence, which uses a clever combination of materials and geometry to maximise resistance, needed to survive for only 10 minutes to pass the client’s test.”

CorruSec variants had already achieved official SR3 and SR4 ratings.