It has been reported that United Utilties are to be fined £20,000 for "forgetting" to reinstate a hole in the road. When asked for a comment their spokesman said " there appears to be some confusion between the contractor and ourselves.... we will be taking the matter further with the contractor"
How much confusion can there be over filling a hole? Quite a lot apparently, which is great for the authorities because they can claim up to £2,000 a day from the utility bad boys. However, given that UU blames their "forgetfulness" on confusion between themselves and their contractor it looks like the councils' nice little earner is a recipe for a big arguement that will only be resolved by the legal profession.
Surely there is nothing difficult or confusing about drawing a hole location onto a map and taken some supporting photos - or is there?