Bristol Water has apologised to customers and motorists after being hit with a huge fine following major disruptions caused by its work. The company pleaded guilty to four offences at North Somerset Magistrates' Court and was fined almost £6,000 for its failure to adhere to permit rules issued by North Somerset Council.
In a statement provided to Bristol Live , the company said it fully accepts the fine issued and the part it played in 'causing extra disruption to motorists and public transport users' and has 'agreed a rigorous improvement plan' with its contractor to 'prevent this from happening in future'.
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A Bristol Water spokesperson said: "We apologise to any customers and anyone else whose journeys have been disrupted whilst our crews complete works. The nature of our business means we often need to dig deep beneath carriageways to access and fix large pipes. It’s essential work to keep customers water supplies running and ensures we’re not wasting water.
"Unfortunately sometimes the repairs take a bit longer, affecting how long we need to restrict traffic in some areas. Added to this, the contractors we rely on to operate our traffic management systems, recently encountered severe staffing problems and this affected the service they provide, leading to a breach of our permit conditions with North Somerset Council.
"We fully accept the fine issued to us and our fault in causing extra disruption to motorists and public transport users." Bristol Water said 'additional resources and extra checks' will be made to 'ensure all conditions are adhered to and meet the high standards of service our customers and local councils rightly expect of us'.
