Severn Trent fined £8k after Shrewsbury road closure overran

Ellesmere Road wrongly remained shut during peak times and disrupted rush hour traffic

A water company has been ordered to pay more than £8,000 after a road closure in Shrewsbury overran into peak hours.

Severn Trent Water Ltd was fined after a closure on Ellesmere Road, in relation to work to install a water main, remained outside permitted times, Shropshire Council said.

It was required to be removed by 06:00 BST in September, but was in place until 09:00, causing disruption and leading to complaints.

Severn Trent was contacted for comment.

It was fined a total of £4,000 and ordered to pay £4,476.76 costs and a £170 victim surcharge.

The company pleaded guilty to offences under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 and Traffic Management Permit Scheme (England) Regulations 2007 at Telford Magistrates' Court on 15 April.

Works failed to comply with regulations resulting in a road closure on a main commuter route into the town during peak rush hour traffic, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

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Steve Davenport, the council's cabinet member for highways and parking, said: "This extended road closure during morning peak traffic hours caused severe disruption and generated a large number of complaints.

"Shropshire Council is responsible for regulating works taking place on our network of roads and any avoidable breaches that disrupt the flow of traffic and safety of the network are taken extremely seriously, as this prosecution shows."