Yet another BT roadworks fail

It is the second time in three weeks that Transport for London has brought action against British Telecom (BT) and the 41^st time since 2010.

BT's latest prosecution follows work carried out on Victoria Street close to Victoria Station on 26th January 2016.

On 6th July BT pleaded guilty to four offences at Westminster Magistrates' Court, these were:

• conducting street works without a permit
• unsafe execution of works
• failing to serve necessary statutory works notices before commencement
• failing to serve necessary statutory works notices following completion.

BT was fined £3,250 and ordered to pay £1,800 in court costs.

In passing sentence the judge said: “This is not a one-off breach. I can see from records before me that these are regular occurrences despite the large number of fixed penalty notices issued by TfL. I understand no injuries occurred on this occasion but clearly more needs to be done to avoid these embarrassing prosecutions.”

Last month BT was fined £4,500 plus £3,916 costs for dangerous streetworks on Brixton Road and Clapham Road in south London earlier this year. (See our previous report here.)

Garrett Emmerson, TfL's chief operating officer for surface transport, said: “This is the second time in three weeks BT has been prosecuted for undertaking dangerous work and failing to provide required streetworks notices. Ensuring that roadworks are carried out safely is vital, especially in a busy city such as London. BT is a repeat offender – having failed to manage roadworks properly on a number of occasions. We will always push for the strongest possible action in order to ensure London's streets are safe and free from unnecessary congestion.”

The table below sets out the number of times Transport for London has prosecuted utility companies since 2010:

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