British Telecommunications Ltd has been ordered to a total of £9,500 after pleading guilty to offences relating to unsafe street works, in a prosecution brought by Westmorland and Furness Council.
The case was heard at Carlisle Magistrates Court on Thursday (23 April). British Telecommunications Ltd was fined £5,000 fine under Section 65 of the New Roads and Streetworks Act 1991. Costs of £2,500 were awarded to the council, and a £2,000 victim surcharge ordered to be paid.
The charges related to an offence of unsafe street works which were identified on South Road (A685) in Kirkby Stephen on 9 October 2025, which included reels of cable trailing down a residential street.
Following an inspection by a Compliance Officer for Westmorland and Furness Council, the site was deemed unsafe due to the absence of proper signing, lighting, guarding, and traffic management. The operatives were instructed to leave the site immediately. Working without the required safety measures constitutes a breach of Section 65 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, which requires utilities to ensure safe working practices for both pedestrians and road users.
Councillor Peter Thornton, Cabinet Member for Highways and ICT, said: "Managing and co-ordinating the thousands of requests from utility companies to carry out work on the highway is a huge job which our teams handle admirably and we take very seriously our responsibility to ensure that companies carrying out street works in Westmorland and Furness do so in a safe and legal manner."
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