Burton Member of Parliament, Kate Kniveton has taken action following the recent traffic gridlock in the town caused by simultaneous roadworks from Staffordshire County Council, South Staffs Water, and Openreach. As a result, residents have faced severe challenges travelling through town this week and endured significant delays to journeys.
Ms Kniveton has contacted Staffordshire County Council and the utility companies involved, urging them to coordinate more effectively to minimise disruption to commuters. With the roadworks set to continue throughout the week, the local MP has asked for urgent steps to be taken immediately, especially during peak traffic hours, to ease the congestion affecting Burton.
Burton Tower’s Staffordshire County Councillor, Conor Wileman, also raised concerns, speaking with the highways authority’s Network Management team. It was confirmed that the Ashby Road/A511 South Staffs Water works would be removed shortly and that additional resources were being added to fix the water leak on St Peter’s Street. Separately, investigations elsewhere are taking place over a possible breach in permit with issues from temporary traffic signal issues and failure to manually control signals.
Last week, the Government announced a crackdown on disruptive roadworks which could cut congestion for millions of drivers and generate up to £100 million extra to resurface roads. Included in the new measures, utility companies that allow works to overrun face increased fines, money which will go to road repairs for things like potholes.
Commenting, Kate Kniveton MP said:
“While it is important that road maintenance and utility works are carried out, it is crucial for them to be conducted in a way that minimises inconvenience for our community.
“As we have seen in recent days, the significant disruption caused to residents and commuters is unacceptable. That is why I and local councillors have raised concerns with both Staffordshire County Council and the utility companies. I will keep residents updated on any responses received and continue working towards a solution.
“In the meantime, I would encourage anyone travelling through the area to leave extra time for their journey's and to go to https://one.network/ to view the latest updates about works being carried out.”
If you have any specific concerns or experiences to share with the local MP, please email: [email protected].
