Utility company faces thousands in penalties after closing A40 slip road without permission
Oxfordshire County Council takes enforcement action after unauthorised road closure causes disruption for nearby villages
A utility company is facing fines and additional charges expected to total tens of thousands of pounds after closing an A40 slip road without the required street works permits.
Oxfordshire County Council has confirmed it is taking formal action against the company after the slip road at Marston was closed without an approved permit. The unauthorised closure resulted in significant disruption, with increased levels of traffic, including heavy goods vehicles and buses, being diverted through the nearby villages of Elsfield and Woodeaton.
The council, which is responsible for managing the county’s highways network, said the company’s failure to follow the correct statutory process prevented it from properly planning the works and reducing the impact on local communities.
Councillor Tim Bearder, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “It’s completely unacceptable that they did this unilaterally and without agreement.
“We, as highways authority, need to agree and schedule roadworks in a planned and considered way and I will be challenging this company about why this happened.
“It has caused immense disruption to residents who have seen heavy goods vehicles, double decker buses and a huge amount of traffic diverted on to a single-track road through their tiny villages.
“This must not happen again, and we will be making that perfectly clear to the utility company involved while also making sure that this work is completed as soon as possible.”
The council has issued a fixed penalty notice for the permit breach, in line with national regulations. The notice represents the highest level of penalty normally available for this type of offence.
The company is also expected to face further costs through Oxfordshire County Council’s lane rental scheme, which was introduced in May. The scheme allows the authority to charge companies up to £2,500 per day for carrying out works on the busiest roads during peak traffic periods.
As the work was carried out on a designated lane rental road during times when charges applied, the company is expected to receive additional fees of around £60,000.
Council officers will continue discussions with the company to ensure improvements are made and that similar disruption is avoided in the future.
The council said it will continue to monitor the situation and work to ensure the roadworks are completed as quickly as possible while minimising further disruption for residents.