BT has been fined tens of thousands of pounds after pleading guilty to four offences relating to street works safety failures, following a prosecution brought by Cumberland Council.
The offences centred on failures to properly sign, light and guard street works on the highway – legal requirements designed to protect all road users. Total fines and costs reached £24,182.99.
Cumberland councillor Denise Rollo, Executive Member for Sustainable, Resilient and Connected Places, said the case sent a clear message to any company working on local roads: ‘This prosecution sends a clear message, any company carrying out work on our roads must follow the rules. Where they do not, we will not hesitate to act and pursue enforcement.’
An Openreach spokesperson said: ‘We take our street works seriously and we’re sorry. We’ve accepted full responsibility and we’ve already put additional training in place to prevent this happening again in future.’
