TELECOMMUNICATIONS giant BT has paid out nearly £15,000 over roadworks carried out in Frome.

The firm was found guilty of two offences, including failing to ensure the safety of pedestrians, during work in the town last year.

Somerset Council is responsible for managing the road network and prosecuted BT ‘as part of its commitment to minimising disruption and keeping the public safe’.

The case, heard at Taunton Magistrates on Thursday, March 16, related to the work at Butts Hill, Frome, on Friday, October 21, 2022, when BT failed to install traffic management to ensure the safety of pedestrians, particularly those with disabilities and the travelling public affected by the works.

The company was fined £8,000 for the offence.

In addition, BT carried out the works without a valid or deemed permit contrary to Regulation 19, The Traffic Management Permit Scheme (England) Regulations 2007 and was fined £500.

The fines totalled £8,500, with costs of £4,319.86 and a surcharge of £2,000 also awarded against them, bringing the total to £14,819.86.

The court BT has since issued guidance to sub-contractors to take account of and adhere to when conducting street works; and that it has since increased its training of operatives.

Councillor Mike Rigby, Somerset Council’s lead member for transport and digital, said: “As a local authority, we have a statutory duty to prevent the public from being exposed to unsafe and unlawful street works.

“It is crucial to ensure that companies adhere to relevant safety standards and provide information to the highways authority.

“We are now taking a zero-tolerance approach to these sort of unlawful activities on our network – the public expects nothing less – and we hope that this, together with the recent fines totalling £62k levied against Virgin Media for similar offences in Bridgwater, send a powerful message to contractors that they must obey the laws on street works at all times.”

If you spot a problem on the road, you can report it at www.somerset.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/report-a-problem-on-the-road.