Broadband firm handed hefty fine
Released On 4th Jul 2022
A broadband company has been handed a significant fine after being found guilty of three offences relating to work carried out on a road last month.
Somerset County Council is responsible for managing the road network and prosecuted Jurassic Fibre Ltd as part of its commitment to minimising disruption and keeping the public safe.
The case, heard at North Somerset Magistrates on Tuesday 14 June 2022, was:
Jurassic Fibre Ltd was found guilty of three offences, which includes:
- Jurassic Fibre Ltd carried out street works, at North End, Creech St Michael near Taunton on 18/06/21, in contravention of S65 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 by failing to install traffic management to ensure the safety of pedestrians affected by the works, particularly those with disabilities. A fine of £2,000 was issued for this charge.
- Jurassic Fibre Ltd carried out street works on a second separate occasion, at Taunton Road, Wellington on 01/12/21, in contravention of S65 of NRSWA 1991 by blocking a dedicated cycle path and pedestrian footway posing a danger to all those affected by the works. A fine of £3,000 was issued for this charge.
- Jurassic Fibre Ltd carried out the above works, at Taunton Road, without a valid or deemed permit contrary to Regulation 19 (The Traffic Management Permit Scheme (England) Regulations 2007). A fine of £3,000 was issued for this charge.
The fines against Jurassic Fibre Ltd totalled £8,000.00 with costs of £4,500 and a surcharge of £190.00 awarded against them.
In passing the sentence, the court accepted in mitigation the following: that Jurassic Fibre Ltd were a new company, not only to the area but to the service and operation pertaining to the sector of street works; the company carries out a large amount of work around the nation; this particular occasion was of an isolated nature and that it was the first prosecution of the company in the county; the company was of previous good character; the company has taken steps to address these failings; and that the company had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Somerset County Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Digital Cllr Mike Rigby said: “As a local authority, we are responsible for implementing our statutory duty to prevent the public from unlawful and unsafe street works.
“It is vitally important to hold companies to account and uphold the relevant safety standards and provide information to the highways authority. We cannot allow instances where utilities carry out works without obtaining a valid permit, if this happens, we expect suppliers to feel the full force of the law.”
Details of approved roadworks can be found on our searchable map at www.travelsomerset.co.uk/roadworks. If anyone is concerned about roadworks they can flag this up to the team by contacting @TravelSomerset on Twitter and Facebook.
