Over the past 12 months Haringey Council fined utility firms more than £600,000 for failing to complete roadworks on time according to figures released last week.
Council chiefs say they also brought 21 successful prosecutions for issues ranging from failing to provide sufficient safety measures to failing to inform the council when works were completed.
Publication of the council’s figures coincides with the implementation of a new per scheme which will give council officers the power to insist works be carried out at specific dates and times.
Cllr Brian Haley said local residents were frustrated “when roadworks drag on for weeks with little sign of activity, or when roads are dug up, relaid and then dug up again by a succession of utility companies.”
Cllr Haley said the authority was committed to “exercising all powers at our disposal to try to prevent this happening in Haringey. We believe that by taking tough action against overrunning works and introducing a more co-ordinated programme of work through the permit scheme, we can make a real difference to people’s day to day lives.”
