Contractors hit back over botched road repair claims

Streetworks contractors have hit back at claims that substandard road repairs cost council taxpayers more than £70m every year.

The Local Government Association said councils are being left to foot the bill as contractors digging up roads on behalf of utility companies are failing to properly patch them up.

The association claimed 360,000 sites were not completed to the agreed specification, with work either over-running, or roads not restored to their original condition.

Civil Engineering Contractors Association director of external affairs Alasdair Reisner said: "We cannot let the LGA's position, and the old stereotype of the construction industry that it presents go uncontested.

"Any construction company who behaved in the manner that the LGA proposes would not be in business very long, as clients would work with more professional rivals.

"We all get frustrated sitting at roadworks but from the water in our taps to the latest high-speed broadband, we all benefit from the results of their work. That is why the industry has strived over recent years to develop innovative ways to reduce disruption associated with this vital work wherever possible.

"If the LGA is genuine in its desire to save money we think we can help them if they are prepared to talk to the industry rather than attacking it.

"We have identified not just tens, but hundreds of millions of pounds worth of waste in the way the public sector works with construction companies. We hope they will listen to us, so we can help them deliver these savings for hard working taxpayers."