Thames Water pleaded guilty to nine offences in the prosecution brought by Transport for London.
Thames Water's contractor, Options, committed the offences earlier this year in four locations:
- Euston Road for breach of permit conditions: £1,600
- Millbank for working without a permit and three failures to notify offences: £5,600
- Camberwell New Road for breach of permit conditions and a failure to notify offence: £3,200
- Upper Clapton Road for breach of permit conditions and a failure to notify offence: £3,200.
London's Lane Rental Scheme, launched by the Mayor of London and TfL in June 2012, is designed to encourage utility companies to avoid digging up the busiest roads at peak traffic times.
Following the introduction of the scheme, more than 88% of utility roadworks at traffic hotspots are now taking place outside of peak traffic hours, TfL says, compared to around 30% before the scheme was introduced.
For TfL's own roadworks, this figure is now 99%.
Garrett Emmerson, TfL chief operating officer for surface transport, said: “We are pleased that the court has recognised just how serious it is when utility companies cause unnecessary delays to road users.
“Our lane rental scheme has dramatically reduced roadwork disruption since its introduction in 2012, we want to ensure roadwork disruption continues to fall and we will prosecute persistent offenders.”
In addition to the fine, Thames Water was ordered to pay TfL's costs and a victim surcharge.
This is TfL's tenth successful prosecution of the year
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