COUNCILS across the North-East are examining a congestion-busting scheme to reduce roadworks disruption.

It is hoped the introduction of permits for roadworks, which are estimated to cost the region’s economy tens of millions of pounds a year, will cut delays caused by utility firms on busy routes, and improve air quality and safety.

Local authorities in the region are expected to launch the scheme, which has already been taken up by 65 per cent of the country’s councils, next January.

The move follows the Government urging councils to introduce permit schemes after a Department of Transport study found they helped reduce the length of disruption from roadworks by more than three days and cut the number of over-running roadworks.

Roads Minister Jesse Norman said: “Roadworks are the bane of drivers’ lives, causing delays and costing the UK economy £4.3bn a year.

“Permit schemes are proven to reduce the length of roadworks, allowing motorists to have fewer disrupted journeys and reducing the burden on businesses.”

Local authorities across the North-East are working collaboratively to develop a joint scheme to cut costs and and ensure consistency across the region, but once adopted it will be up to individual councils to manage them. A report to the cabinet of Darlington Borough Council, which assesses and coordinates more than 7,000 roadworks notices a year, states under the proposals, firms behind works without a permit could face a fine of up to £5,000 and £2,500 for failure to meet a permit condition imposed by the authority.

Charges and fixed penalty notices generated by the permits would be used to fund the scheme.

The cabinet report states benefits of the permits would include the ability to “ensure works are being carried out to ensure the impact on the network efficiency is kept at a minimum wherever possible particularly on traffic sensitive and strategic routes, thus helping to keep the traffic moving”.

It adds: “By improving coordination public and school transport will be improved as the delays will be kept to a minimum. Carbon dioxide emissions will also be reduced as traffic will spend less time idling in traffic queues to a site would be minimised.”