BT was yesterday fined more than £3,000 for failing to provide adequate safety measures during roadwork outside a hospital.

Durham magistrates were told contractors for BT had blocked the main access to Shotley Bridge Community Hospital, near Consett.

The work site was not protected by guard rails, there was no lighting nor were there ramps for pedestrians.

Bench chairwoman Marion Holloway described the breaches of the rules as appalling.

She said: "Every misdemeanor that could be committed was committed at this site.

"It was a sensitive area, being the entrance to a hospital. The safety of the public is paramount."

She said BT would have been fined the maximum of £5,000, but this was reduced to £3,650 because of the company's early guilty plea.

Clare Alexander, prosecuting on behalf of Durham County Council's trading standards department, said a senior assistant lighting engineer was passing the hospital on September 25 last year when he noticed the breaches in safety laws.

A highways inspector called to the scene found no guard rails, while access to neighbouring properties had been blocked off.

He ordered that work be stopped until safety measures were in place, after finding there was no temporary lighting and no ramps for pedestrians, in particular for disabled people.

David Comb, mitigating for BT, said the firm carried out 750,000 similar street work projects every year, and accepted it had to be held to account for work carried out on its behalf.

The work had been sub-contracted out to S and D Utilities, by the main contractor at the site, Enterprise. He said the workers had been retrained, but were eventually dismissed

He said: "It was a problem that lasted two hours only. The necessary work was done immediately after the inspector left the site. Action has been taken so that the risk to the public in the future will be reduced."

BT, which pleaded guilty to failing to insure the site in Selbourne Gardens was adequately protected for the safety of the public, was also ordered to pay £75 costs.