Cllr Peter Mason, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for strategic highways, says he is keen to work with utility companies to prevent unnecessary roadwork delays. The strategy would ensure repairs were carried out by imposing stricter rules and using fines to ensure compliance, says Lichfield Live. He has now written to utility companies asking them to get behind the new approach.

A Staffordshire County Council spokesperson said:

“Current legislation prioritises utility works and third-party access to road networks, often with very little notice given to county councils. We want to work with utility companies to ensure their work is completed as quickly as possible and to a sufficient standard.”

The county council has halted new non-emergency roadworks in “heavily-disrupted areas” unless it can be shown that they would not further impact key routes.

The spokesperson added:

“Emergency works such as water and gas leaks will still go ahead as these cannot be stopped, but Cllr Mason has asked the major utility companies to reduce how long they take in repairing them.”

(Pic: Staffordshire County Council)