Thames Water shelling out hefty fines for not meeting roadworks targets
By Charlotte Lillywhite, Local democracy Reporter
Thames Water has been fined more than £500,000 in just over two years by Wandsworth council for completing roadworks late.
More than 320 work details involving digging up roads that were carried out by the water company took longer than the agreed deadline, the authority has revealed, causing disruption to residents.
The council said it expects the vital services Thames Water provides to run smoothly, and that the frequency of overrunning roadworks is cause for concern. It is demanding the company improve services in the coming months, after revealing it collected more than £500,000 in fines from April 2022 to mid-July this year.
More than 150 separate roadworks took longer than agreed in 2023/24, with £180,000 in fines issued, according to the council.
This compares to 170 instances in 2022/23, with fines totalling £290,000 haned out. Since April this year, the council has fined Thames Water more than £30,000 for late works.
The cash the council collects from Thames Water is used to fund highways improvements across Wandsworth, including repairing potholes and pavements.
Labour council leader Simon Hogg said: “We know that Thames Water has an important job to do. That’s why it’s crucial that they get the work done in the time they commit to.
“When work overruns the advertised timescales, the disruption to residents, schools, transport services and businesses can be extremely challenging.
“The fact we had to issue fines exceeding £500,000 in a little over two years shows the scale of the problem. We are calling for Thames Water to improve time management processes across Wandsworth so the hand back of work is much more punctual.”
A Thames Water spokesman said: “We’re sorry when our roadworks cause disruption and delays to customers and motorists. Our teams are working hard to provide reliable water and wastewater services to 16million customers across the region.
“This involves carrying out works in the public highways to install, maintain, repair and replace our water mains and sewers. We always aim to work collaboratively with councils to minimise disruption when work takes place.”
Pictured top: Wandsworth Town Hall (Picture: Google Street View)
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