Electricity firm fined for 'unapproved' road works

A utility firm could face a bill of up to £60,000 in a row with a council over the closure of a busy slip road.

Oxfordshire County Council said it had issued the maximum fine allowed to Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), after it allegedly closed an A40 slip road in Marston without a valid permit.

The authority said the closure had led to "traffic disruption" in the nearby villages of Elsfield and Woodeaton.

But a spokesperson for SSEN disputed the claim that the firm did not have permission, saying the council had approved the closure at the end of June.

Alongside the fines, the firm could also have to pay £60,000 under the council's lane rental scheme - which it introduced in May.

The scheme means firms carrying out work on some of Oxfordshire's busiest roads can be charged up to £2,500 a day for closures.

It is designed to encourage companies to complete roadworks faster and reduce disruption for drivers, bus passengers and businesses.

Council leader Tim Bearder said the SSEN closure of the A40 slip road was "completely unacceptable", and done "unilaterally and without agreement".

"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," he added.

The council said it had taken enforcement action in relation to the permit breach - with a fixed penalty notice of £1,000 issued to the firm.

But a spokesperson for SSEN said: "We wish to make clear that permission was given for the slip road in question to be closed."

"This decision was taken with the agreement of representatives of Oxfordshire County Council at the end of June," the firm said.

"This was done because some motorists were carrying out illegal manoeuvres to avoid the lane closure on the main carriageway, and this was presenting a danger to all road users, as well as those delivering the network upgrade."

The firm added that retrospective consent for the closure was applied for and subsequently granted by the council.

The works were completed on 2 August.