Street works and road closures

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Most of the works undertaken in the borough are undertaken by utility companies who install, repair or renew their assets.

Examples of these include:

  • Cadent Gas
  • Thames Water
  • British Telecoms (Openreach)
  • UK Power Networks
  • Affinity Water
  • Virgin Media

Any utility companies that work on the public highway must comply with laws, such as:

  • safety of their works site and excavations
  • standard of the reinstatement of the carriageway, footway, footpath and verges
  • qualifications of the employees undertaking the works
  • notification by these undertakers to the Council for proposed works

Street Works Register

We are responsible for co-ordinating and monitoring street works carried out by utility companies.

This includes maintaining a register of all planned street works with information such as:

  • the utility or developer undertaking the work
  • planned start and end dates
  • location of works
  • a description of works

Find work in your area 

Inspecting street and road works

We inspect street and road works to make sure they are legal. Inspections take place over four different stages of the year.

If we find things wrong with these sites we try to work together with the utility company, should they fail to comply we have the right to issue a fine.

Utility companies can apply for extensions of time to their works due to unforeseen circumstances. We are obliged to hold quarterly meetings with the utilities and Transport for London (TfL) to discuss programmed planned works across the borough.

Protection of new footways and roads

We can protect our newly laid roads and footways for a certain amount of time. To do this we can serve notice on the utilities listed above, this is known as a Section 58 notice.

This Section 58 notice prevents utilities from digging up roads and footways for a period between 3 and 5 years after the road has been reconstructed or resurfaced. There are some exemptions to the rule such as:

  • Minor works that do not involve breaking up or excavation of the highway;
  • Immediate (emergency) works;
  • New customer connections;
  • Works to comply with an improvement notice or prohibition notice issued by the Health and Safety Executive under Sections 21 or 22 of the Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974;
  • Works carried out under Regulation 16(3)(b) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998;
  • Works carried out to comply with a programme approved under Regulation 13(a) of the Pipelines Safety Regulations 1996 (SI1996/825, as amended by SI2003/2563) that could not have been identified before the restriction began.

Utility contact details

Company to contact

What for

Phone numbers

Thames Water

Water and public sewer/drains

0800 316 9800

UK Power Networks

Electricity

Customer services - 0800 028 0709

Emergencies – 0800 018 0247

Cadent Gas

Gas

Leaks (emergencies only) – 0800 111999

Other enquiries – 0345 835 1111

Virgin Media

Cable

0800 519 6929

BT (Openreach)

Telecoms

Residential Services: 0800 800 150

Business Services: 0800 800 152

General Enquiries: 020 7356 5000

Transport for London (TfL)

If you find a faulty traffic signal in the borough, or anywhere in London, you can report it to Transport For London

0343 222 1234

Temporary Traffic Order application

Temporary traffic order application form (ODT 2.14mb)

Section 50 applicant checklist (ODT 7.79KB)

Section 50 application pack (ODT 2.14MB)

Section 171 form (ODS 12KB)