Utility companies slapped with fines for late works

Figures have revealed how authorities have hit firms with penalties for breaching deadlines on works – with Northern Powergrid told to cough up more than £7,000 for late maintenance on Queen Street, in Redcar, last year.

Redcar and Cleveland Council imposed the most fines on its road network – a total of £27,450 for 28 breaches.

Middlesbrough Council came next with 21 fines coming to £10,500 in all.

Stockton Council meted out just one fine – but it was a hefty one.

Northumbrian Water was made to pay £3,300 for late running works on Central Avenue, in Billingham, in 2017.

The longest delay on Teesside was Northern Powergrid’s works on Queen Street which were due to be done on March 11 but weren’t completed until April 25. It resulted in a £7,750 fine from Redcar and Cleveland Council.

But a spokeswoman for Northern Powergrid explained there were unusual circumstances on this occasion.

She said: “In the case of Queen Street, this was not roadworks. It was a small hole next to a house which the police had discovered was being used as a cannabis farm.

“We were required to safely disconnect it as the criminals involved had tampered with our network supplying the property.

“The hole was safely covered and protected but unfortunately the reinstatement work did not take place in the timely manner it should have.

“We are examining with our teams and contractor why this did not happen on this occasion so we can help prevent this happening again in the future.”

Top fines for late works on Teesside (April 2017 – January 2020)

Northern Powergrid: Queen Street, Redcar – £7,750

Northern Powergrid: Broadway, Grangetown – £4,000

Northumbrian Water: Central Avenue, Billingham – £3,300

Northern Powergrid: Northgate, Guisborough – £2,000

Northern Powergrid: Zetland Terrace, Loftus – £2,000

BT: Glenfield Drive, Middlesbrough – £1,750

Northern Powergrid: A66 Grangetown Bypass – £1,500

Northern Powergrid: Durham Street – £1,500

BT: Riverside Park Road, Middlesbrough – £1,500

Northumbrian Water: Dundas Mews, Middlesbrough, £1,250

BT received the biggest fine in Middlesbrough for works which were a week late in 2019 on Glenfield Drive.

In response to the fines the firm racked up, a spokesman for Openreach (BT) said the company carried out 300,000 jobs on roads, pavements and verges every year.

He added: “It’s a mix of improving and upgrading the network as well as fixing faults.

“The vast majority of our work finishes on-time with no issues.

“Of course, we never want to be in a position where we are fined and we always work closely with local authorities to try and minimise the impact of our work.”

Redcar and Cleveland’s network totted up the biggest penalties and most breaches.

Officers have pointed to the extensive rural road network in the borough in the past for higher numbers of potholes and repairs needed.

A council spokesman added: “Our officers monitor all work commissioned by utility companies and will take action if they overrun without mitigating circumstances.”

Northern Powergrid was the most penalised firm on Teesside – racking up a total of £24,750 in fines since April 2017.

In response to the figures, a company spokeswoman told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the nature of its work on underground cables often meant roads and areas had to be dug up for repairs.

She added: “We always aim to work with our local authority partners to ensure that any disruption in the local community is minimised, wherever possible, and carried out in a timely manner.

“On occasions we can find following excavation that the ground conditions or necessary repair is more complex.

“This can extend working times beyond what we initially anticipated and in situations like this we aim to keep our customers and key stakeholders informed.”

Northern Gas Networks (NGN) was the other firm penalised for late-running works in the region.

Steve Pigott, from Northern Gas Networks, said the company was investing about £100m in the gas network every year to modernise the system and bring cleaner energy.

He added: “We work closely with local authorities and other utilities to plan our work in order to minimise disruption caused to road users and members of the public and to complete our work within agreed timescales.

“On the rare occasions that our essential work does overrun, we work closely with local councils and communicate with members of the public to make them aware of any changes to our plans.”

Northumbrian Water also said it aimed to complete its works as soon as it could while keeping people safe and minimising disruption.

Its spokeswoman added: “Unfortunately, sometimes circumstances are outside of our control and this means there can be delays to us completing our work.

“Things like adverse weather conditions, ground composition or the layout of other underground utilities can all cause challenges when carrying out and completing street works.

“We’ve got an excellent working relationship with all local authorities in the area and we’ll continue to work closely with them, ensuring that any roadworks which are carried out, are done so safely, swiftly and with minimal disruption to all road users.”