A SCHEME to charge utility companies for roadworks should be introduced in Lancashire, according to Rossendale and Darwen’s MP.

London operates a ‘lane rental’ initiative, where water, gas and highway contractors must pay a charge for each day they undertake roadworks.

And after Bacup Road, between Rawtenstall and Bacup, was dug up repeatedly by utility companies, Valley MP Jake Berry raised the matter in the House of Commons.

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In a transport debate, he said: “In a sort of Rossendale remake of Groundhog Day; Bacup Road in my constituency is being dug up for the third time in the past 18 months.”

He urged Transport Minister Andrew Jones to adopt the London Lane Rental scheme, which he said had led to the disruption by planned roadworks cut by 46 per cent.

Mr Berry added: “This is a really simple way to get the utility companies and councils to work together to reduce roadworks and subsequent congestions.

“It’s amazing how much better they can co-ordinate roadworks and how much faster they can complete them if you start to charge for renting the highway while they dig it up.”

Mr Jones said that the scheme would be examined and it would be raised with the county council.

County Councillor John Fillis, Lancashire’s highways cabinet member, said the authority had adopted its own permit scheme, which was in its infancy but was designed to give greater control over the necessity for roadworks.

But referring to the lane rental scheme, he added: “They are currently only being piloted in London and Kent with the outcome of these schemes still being considered by the Department for Transport.

“Currently the option to operate a lane rental scheme is not open to any other highway authority so Lancashire County Council does not have the option to operate such a scheme.

“However Lancashire County Council did introduce a permit scheme in March this year which gives us much greater control over works taking place on the highway so that anyone who wants to carry out work needs to apply first.

“This allows us to consider their impact with the aim of minimising disruption as far as possible.”

Once the permit scheme in Lancashire had been operational for 12 months, a review of its effectiveness will be undertaken.