County Hall highways chiefs have issued a warning to firms which are found to be working on Herts roads without a permit, or in breach of agreed conditions.

The move comes after a string of incidents of wildcat work on Hertfordshire’s highway network, which can cause traffic congestion and potential risks for road users.

Utility firms and other companies are being reminded that they must obtain an official permit before their work can begin.

This will apply conditions to say when, where and how roadworks can take place so that the impact on both the traffic and the environment can be kept to a minimum.

There are more than 3,000 miles of public highway in Herts and County Hall’s inspection team is always monitoring the network to make sure all roadworks projects are as safe and efficient as possible.

Firms which don’t comply with permits could face a fixed penalty notice or a court prosecution. There’s also the possibility of a permit being revoked and a site being shut down if breaches are considered to be sufficiently serious.

The sort of problems picked up by the inspection team include temporary traffic signals not being correctly operated and works sites being unsafely guarded.

Councillor Terry Douris, Herts County Council’s lead member for highways matters, said: “Unauthorised roadworks can cause real headaches for Hertfordshire road users and that’s why we’re taking this stance with anyone who goes ahead and digs up the road without permission, or disregards their permit conditions.

“Ultimately, it’s the residents and road users who suffer the impact of delays, and our highways team, who can see what’s happening in a particular area, work hard to coordinate the roadworks so the least disruption is caused.”

Anyone wanting to report roadworks which they think may be unauthorised they should visit www.hertsdirect.org or call 0300 123 40 47.