Roadworks tsar fines firms £100,000 over shoddy street repairs

SCOTLAND’S first fines for poorly completed roadworks have been imposed on four water, energy and telecommunications firms.

Openreach, part of BT, will have to pay £38,500, and Scottish Water £38,000, under the first penalties to be issued by Scottish roadworks commissioner John Gooday since he was appointed five years ago.

He also imposed fines of £14,000 on Virgin Media and £2,000 on Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution.

The fines, which are towards the top end of the £50,000 maximum, were welcomed by motoring groups.

The penalties follow spot checks on roadworks which showed a high proportion had not been properly resurfaced after holes were filled in.

The firms or their contractors failed to use enough blacktop on the roads and pavements, which could cause potholes or ruts.

The two telecoms firms had the worst record in 2010-11, with 59 per cent of Virgin Mobile’s 56 checked sites found to be below standard. Openreach saw 58 per cent of its 129 roadworks checked failing the grade.

Scottish Water, which is responsible for four in ten utility roadworks north of the Border, had 38 per cent of its 304 checked sites below par.

Mr Gooday said the fines were based on the proportion of failures, overall number of roadworks involved and any evidence of improvements.

The commissioner said he had expected firms to have achieved an 80 per cent rate, which was hit by firms such as Scottish Gas Networks.

Mr Gooday said: “Given the difficult environment in which roadworks are often undertaken, I accept that 100 per cent compliance is unlikely. However, given that the National Coring Programme [to check road repair quality] had been in place for over ten years, I would have expected to see a pass rate of at least 80 per cent.”

Neil Greig, of the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), said: “This is good news for drivers. At last we have some fines being issued. The increase in quality of repairs is also welcome.”

An Openreach spokesman said: “We believe our performance has improved since the period to which this penalty relates and are increasing our efforts, in collaboration with our contractors, to ensure work on our behalf meets or exceeds the necessary standards.”

Scottish Water’s Peter Farrer said: “Reinstating roads back to a good condition following repair or investment work is a priority. Scottish Water has made a significant improvement to an 89 per cent approval rate.”

A Virgin Media spokesman said: “We are committed to continuing improvements to ensure we meet, and exceed, the overall pass rate in the future.”

Scottish Hydro Electric said it was “committed to working with the Scottish roadworks commissioner to ensure that Scotland’s roads are maintained to a high standard”.