main content Thames Water guilty of substandard road repairs

Thames Water Utilities (TWU) has been found guilty of 46 offences mainly relating to substandard road repairs and the failure to properly fence off their work sites. The company was fined £40,700 and ordered to pay costs of £15714 at Bromley Magistrates Court last week. These cases follow on from the previous successful prosecution of TWU last October for similar offences under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991. The prosecutions underline the Council’s commitment to ensure that roads and pavements are safe to use and repaired properly.

“Council tax payers should not be footing the bill to rectify problems caused by substandard repairs. We need good quality reinstatements that do not pose a danger to the public. Our roads and pavements are a valuable asset. We will continue to inspect street works undertaken by utility companies to ensure that they are of a sufficient quality to protect our ‘highway assets’” said David Lambert, the Council’s Streets Works Manager.

The charges mainly related to poor workmanship and incorrect materials used to repair holes. Many sites had inadequate guarding which potentially was prejudicing public safety and TWU also failed to complete work on time and did not advise the Council that they would be working on the highway.

Two TWU sites at Felstead Road, Orpington received fines of £4,000. These fines related to works carried out in 2006 where the excavations had not been protected correctly and the reinstatement of the footway had not been properly completed.

District Judge Carr who heard the cases expressed his concerns that the examples were repetitive instances of previous similar offences with insufficient site checks being carried out by TWU.

The TWU barrister said that a TWU sub-contractor had been responsible for many of the problems and was no longer working for TWU.

Residents can report their concerns about utility ‘road works’ to David Lambert, the Council’s Streets Works Manager on 020 8313 4933.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• The New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 sets out the procedures and guidelines that all utility companies need to adhere to when placing or maintaining their equipment on the highway. The Act and associated Codes of Practice cover the notification requirements, the safety to highway users and the standards required of the reinstatement of all excavations on the highway.
• The hearing was held at Bromley Magistrates Court on Monday 17th September 2007.
• The majority of the charges relate to offences occurring in 2006.
• In October 2006, Thames Water, the utility company, has pleaded guilty to 20 offences, mainly relating to substandard road repairs. The company was fined a total of £4,000 and ordered to pay costs of £20,907 at Bromley Magistrates Court.

For media enquiries, please contact Andrew Rogers, Communications Advisor on 020 8313 7670 or David Lambert, Street Works Manager on 020 8313 4933 or email andrew.rogers@bromley.gov.uk

Further information is available at www.bromley.gov.uk