The number of days roadworks overran in Cambridgeshire fell by almost half during 2025/26, as Cambridgeshire County Council stepped up enforcement, issuing more than £424,000 in fines and charges to utility companies and other organisations.
The council issued 1,443 Fixed Penalty Notices, generating £196,286, for offences including working without the necessary permit or failing to comply with permit conditions.
A further £228,350 was recovered through charges for works that overran their agreed duration.
The number of days that works overran fell from 1,191 days in 2024/25 to 692 days in 2025/26, a reduction of almost 42%. The decrease suggests that enforcement activity and overrun charges are encouraging companies to complete works within agreed timescales and helping to reduce disruption for road users.
In total, the council issued 36,685 permits during 2025/26, regulating when and how works could take place across the county.
In Cambridgeshire there are 51 utility companies that are permitted to work on our roads – and when that work is deemed an emergency, such as for a burst water main, they can legally start work before notifying the council.
Cllr Alex Beckett, chair of the Highways and Transport Committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: "We know how frustrating roadworks can be for all of us travelling around Cambridgeshire. Utility companies have a legal right to work on our roads. Our role is to make sure works on the highway are properly managed and that unnecessary disruption is kept to a minimum.
"It is particularly encouraging to see the number of days that roadworks overran falling by almost 42% in a single year. This suggests that our approach to enforcement is helping to improve compliance and reduce disruption.
"We have also increased our focus on identifying non-compliant or bad quality works. With the higher penalties we introduced in January, there is now a greater financial incentive for companies to comply with the rules and complete their works on time.
"We will continue to use the powers available to us to hold organisations to account and to coordinate works as far as possible, to protect all road users from unnecessary disruption and ensure our communities are well connected."
Cambridgeshire County Council works closely with utility companies and other organisations carrying out work on the highway to coordinate activity, minimise disruption and ensure works are completed safely and efficiently.
Where organisations fail to comply with permit conditions or allow works to overrun without justification, the council will continue to use the enforcement powers available to hold companies to account for the benefit of all of Cambridgeshire’s residents.
