British Telecom has been once again been prosecuted for dangerous and disruptive roadwork failings in London.
This is the second occasion in three weeks that BT has faced action from Transport for London and the 41st time in total in the last six years.
The latest prosecution against BT comes after the work carried out close to Victoria Station on Victoria Station on January 26, 2016.
On July 6, the company pleaded guilty to four offences at Westminster Magistrates’ court, which were: failing to serve necessary statutory works notices following completion, failing to serve necessary statutory works notices before commencement, unsafe execution of works and conducting street works without a permit.
For these offences, the telecommunications giant was hit with a £3,250 fine and ordered to pay court costs of £1,800.
In passing the sentence, the judge explained that this is not a one off breach of regulations; rather the records show that the company has frequently been in breach of them despite TfL issuing a large number of fixed penalty notices.
The judge went on to say: “I understand no injuries occurred on this occasion but clearly more needs to be done to avoid these embarrassing prosecutions.”
In June, BT was issued with a £4,500 fine along with £3,916 in costs for the dangerous street works on Brixton Road and Clapham Road in South London earlier in the year.
Chief Operating Officer for Surface Transport at TfL, Garrett Emmerson, said that their priority is to make sure that roadworks are carried out safely in such a busy city, which is why BT has been prosecuted for the second time in three weeks.
He added: “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.”
