BT faces fine over Shrewsbury roadworks safety breaches
BT is facing a hefty court fine after admitting safety measures were not followed while roadworks were being carried out in Shrewsbury.
The company has pleaded guilty to five breaches of roadworks regulations over the works on Sundorne Road, which also included failing to notify Shropshire Council until two days after contractors had started on site.
However, barrister Richard Bottomley, representing the telecoms giant at Telford Magistrates’ Court on Monday, entered not guilty pleas on the company’s behalf in respect of four separate alleged breaches.
The case, which has been brought by Shropshire Council, was adjourned for a trial later in the year.
The court heard that the roadworks in question began on June 8 last year.
BT accepts that the notice of works – required to be submitted at least two hours beforehand for emergencies – was not filed with the council until 3.54pm on June 10, and that the notice of completion was not submitted within the required timescale.
The company further admits to failing to “light, sign and guard” the site adequately on June 9, including failing to have traffic signs in place, and to breaching permit conditions by failing to display a site information board.
Finally, it admits to failing to co-operate with council highways officers on June 9 in that after being informed of the “inadequacies” on site and actions required to correct them, it “failed to make the site safe and operatives continued to work unsafely”.
The alleged breaches denied by BT include that the works were not being supervised by a person with a prescribed qualification as a supervisor.
The company further denies failing to comply with a permit condition that two-way temporary traffic lights be manually controlled, and that adequate signage and lighting were not in place on June 13.
The final allegation it does not accept is failing to co-operate with highways officers on June 13 and allowing work to carry on unsafely.
A one-day trial will be held at the court on November 16 before a district judge.
Several of the breaches the company has already admitted carry a maximum penalty of an unlimited fine, which will be handed out after the trial.
