Drivers in Norfolk will be all-too familiar with roadworks that drag on...and on.
Now, new figures have revealed the hotspots where roadworks overran the longest - with the worst hold-ups caused by a simple failure to collect signs.
Roadworks being carried out by utilities companies overran by a whopping 1,317 days in 2024, causing the equivalent of more than three-and-a-half years of disruption.
Anglian Water received 165 fines from Norfolk County Council for overrunning roadworks, according to statistics obtained through the Freedom Of Information Act.
This made it the utility company dealt the most fines.
In three of the worst cases of delays, the company failed to remove road signs after the completion of works - meaning drivers were held up for days on end without any real cause.
In Buxton Road, Cawston, Anglian Water roadworks overran for 57 days.
Work there began on July 17 last year and should have finished by July 22, but the signs were still in place two months later.
In Holt Road, Weybourne, its work overran by 44 days, while a scheme in March Riverside, at Upwell, went on for 37 days beyond the anticipated end date.
The water company was issued with fines of £14,250, £11,000 and £13,875 by Norfolk County Council for the trio of incidents, but ended up paying just £100 for the first two schemes and £3,700 for the Upwell overrun.
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In each of these cases, road signs were left on site after work had been completed.
Legislation sets a maximum fine of £100 where five or fewer signs are left on site and they are cleared within two days of the company being informed of that.
An Anglian Water spokeswoman said: “As part of our job to keep taps running and toilets flushing, we sometimes need to use traffic management such as lights, closures and diversions while we work in or near the road.
"This is really important to keep our teams – and members of the public – safe while we’re working.
"We work with other parties when it comes to traffic management to make sure the most suitable option is chosen, so we can minimise disruption as much as possible while we complete essential work across our network.
"We understand that this can be frustrating, especially at busier points of the year – such as school summer holidays – and would like to thank road users and customers for their patience."
The company started work in the street on October 15 last year, which was was due to finish on October 29.
However, the company failed to repaint a section of double yellow lines, so the work technically overran by 27 working days before completion.
Given the unusual circumstances, the council agreed to reduce the initial £81,000 fine to £2,700, based on a rate of £100 for each extra day.
A spokeswoman for UK Power Networks said: "We apologise that a short section of double yellow lines was not repainted across a driveway in Oak Street, Norwich. This was rectified as soon as we became aware of it.
"The charge was amended to a considerably lower figure in agreement with the highways authority to reflect our immediate response."
"We carry out approximately 1,400 excavations annually in Norfolk and our highly trained teams always strive to maintain high standards around our streetworks."
More than £680,000 in fines was issued to companies but just £345,000 of that was paid -with many charges ultimately reduced.
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Graham Plant, Conservative-controlled County Hall's cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said: "We know how disruptive roadworks can be for residents, businesses and road users, and we’re doing everything we can to minimise that impact.
"Utility companies do have a legal right to carry out works — and in emergencies can begin without prior notice — but where we can we use the limited powers we have to try to manage this.
"We closely monitor their activity and hold them to account when they fall short.
"That includes issuing fines, rejecting permit applications, and taking enforcement action where necessary.
"Our priority is to minimise the impact of roadworks, and we will continue to take firm action against those who fail to meet the required standards."
County Hall also issued 2,809 fixed penalty notices to companies which dug up roads without necessary permits or for breaching permit conditions - netting the authority a further £340,000.
Those fixed penalty notices range from £80 to £500, depending on the offence.
The council is likely to collect even more fines next year, as the government has decided to double the penalties.
The charges for overrunning are also likely to increase.
At present, the council can only apply fines on 'working days', but from January the authority will also be able to charge firms for weekend days.
The authority, which is responsible for co-ordinating and managing roadworks, issued more than 44,000 street and roadwork permits last year, with utility companies and developers accounting for 75pc of all works.
7000 of the permits were for unplanned emergency works, which often create the most disruption.
The council rejected 5,400, as the proposals were not acceptable.
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