Severn Trent Water could face fine after roadwork chaos on A6 in Kibworth

Severn Trent Water could face a hefty £5,000 fine after workers did not carry out roadworks despite lane closures being set up.

Annoyed residents hit out at the water company for not carrying out planned roadworks at the Church Road and Marsh Drive junctions over the weekend after it led to miles of congestion in Kibworth.

Lane closures and a four-way temporary traffic lights system were put in place on Friday, June 16, which residents say caused significant disruption. But people were particularly angry because no workers from Severn Trent visited the site to conduct the work – and the temporary traffic lights were still in place on Monday morning.

The water company did apologise for the disruption at the time, but still may face a financial punishment from Leicester County Council. A spokesperson for the council said this is because the temporary traffic lights were in place longer than the conditions of the permit.

They added: “We’re very aware of the complaints about the traffic situation in Kibworth over the weekend. We’re now considering our next steps which, subject to working through a complex set of conditions, could result in a financial penalty being imposed on Severn Trent. The maximum financial penalty, which the legislation allows in these circumstances, is £5,000 day and we’re seeking to use the legislation to its fullest effect.”

Severn Trent Water said it has “determined” the traffic issues on the Kibworth road to be a result of a “workforce scheduling error”. It also apologised again for the disruption. A spokesperson said: “We understand the impact and frustration this has caused locally. We always work hard and endeavour to minimise the impact of any work that involves a road closure and we apologise to anybody impacted during the weekend and in to Monday.

“We’d like to reassure people that every effort will be made to reduce traffic management in this area when the work is rescheduled as we recognise how critical this route is. We will communicate as widely as possible before the work takes place so people can plan in advance. Again, please accept our apologies for the disruption caused by the scheduling error.”