Severn Trent Water lights left in Leek caused days of gridlock
severn trent water left temporary traffic lights in place after finishing work at the A53 and St Edward Street junction in Leek, and the road setup stayed there while queues built for days. Staffordshire County Council said the company was charged for the overrunning works.
The junction had been closed to Severn Trent after a manhole collapsed. When the four-way signals later stopped working, police had to be called in to guide traffic through the busy North Staffordshire junction.
Peter Mason on Leek roadworks
Peter Mason, Staffordshire County Council's cabinet member for strategic highways, said the council had been in constant discussions with Severn Trent Water about the disruption and delays. He said the authority had also charged the company for the overrunning works, which he described as standard practice.
“We are aware of the situation with the temporary four-way traffic signals at the bottom of St Edward Street, Leek, which were put in place by Severn Trent Water to fix a collapsed manhole. We have been in constant discussions with Severn Trent Water regarding the disruption and delays that these works have caused, and have also charged them for the works overrunning, which is our standard practice in these situations. We will continue to work with the utility company to understand what has happened on this occasion, and how they can ensure incidents like these are minimised in future. We feel councils need to have more control over how utility and third party works are planned and delivered, and have been lobbying government to this effect over the past few months.”
Severn Trent Water apology
Severn Trent apologised for the disruption caused by delays after temporary lights were not collected following completion of its work in the area. A spokesperson said the company was working with partners to improve the collection process.
The lights were still up on the evening of April 20 even though the work had been finished. They are believed to have been removed on April 21, while National Grid engineers were continuing a separate project in Leek on Ball Haye Road.
For drivers using the A53 and St Edward Street junction, the immediate change is simple: the temporary lights should no longer be left sitting after the utility work ends. The county council has already moved to recover the overrun costs, and it is pressing for more say over how future roadworks are planned and delivered.
