A contractor carrying out work in a Croxteth road made it dangerous for pedestrians and householders, a court was told.
Liverpool magistrates heard that work was undertaken on behalf of Virgin Media in Silverwell Road in August.
An inspection carried out by the city council’s streetscene contractors Amey found that that the footway had been excavated with material left on the pavement. Open excavations had been left exposed and equipment and materials were left unguarded and leaning against residents’ property. No guard rails had been erected and residents and visitors had to walk through a work area to get access to houses.
Virgin Media admitted an offence under safety measures in New Road Street Works Act 1991. They were fined £2000 and ordered to pay costs of £500, a victim surcharge of £120 and the new court user cost of £150.
In mitigation, the company said, while it accepted responsibility, it did not have direct control of the works which were carried out by a sub-contractor. It had discussed the issue with them to ensure this was a one-off occurrence and that lessons had been learned,
Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, cabinet member for regeneration, said: “The way this work was being carried out was completely unacceptable.
“As well as causing considerable inconvenience to residents, pedestrians – especially children, the elderly, disabled people and visually impaired – were at risk of tripping and being injured.
“I am pleased that the court saw this as a serious issue which is reflected in the level of penalty which was imposed. We will not hesitate to take action against any contractor whose work creates a safety hazard to road users.”