Subject to section 61 of this Act and without prejudice to any requirement imposed by, under or by virtue of any other enactment, no works shall be executed in, or excavation made under, a public road except with the roads authority’s consent in writing and in accordance with any reasonable conditions which they think fit to attach to the consent.

An application for the consent of a roads authority under subsection (1) above shall be in writing. On receipt of the application they shall give the applicant notice of all statutory undertakers whose apparatus is, in the opinion of the authority, likely to be affected by the works or excavation and the applicant shall then forthwith in writing intimate the application to those undertakers of whom he has received such notice.

This section does not apply to works or excavations to which the street works code, as contained in the M1Public Utilities Street Works Act 1950, applies.

At the completion of the works or excavation mentioned in subsection (1) above any opening left in the road shall be provided with a door or cover by the person executing the works or making the excavation; and such door or cover shall be constructed in such manner, and of such materials, as may be specified by the roads authority.

Works executed, or an excavation made, in contravention of subsection (1) above may be removed, or as the case may be filled in, by the roads authority; and the authority may recover such expenses as are reasonably incurred in so doing, or in maintaining an excavation which has under this subsection been filled in, from the person who executed those works or made that excavation.

The roads authority shall, where practicable, notify the person mentioned in subsection (7) above about anything removed under that subsection; but if the person cannot be traced, or if he has not recovered the thing within a reasonable period of time after being so notified, the authority may dispose of the thing.

Any proceeds of a disposal under subsection (8)

above shall be used to meet any such expenses in relation to the removal or filling in as are mentioned in subsection (7) above. Thereafter any surplus shall be given to the person so mentioned if he can be traced and if he cannot may be retained by the roads authority.

Where a person contravenes subsection (4) (other than by a failure duly to give information) or (5) above, the roads authority may make good the damage to the road, or as the case may be provide a door or cover for the opening, and recover from him such expenses as are reasonably incurred in so doing.

Where, in the opinion of the roads authority, works which a person is executing in, or excavations which he is making under, a road are causing, or are likely to cause, a danger the authority may by notice to him require him within such period as may be specified in the notice to take such steps as will ensure that such danger is brought to an end or as the case may be does not arise.

Notwithstanding any consent granted under section 56 or 61 of this Act and without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) above, steps specified in the notice under that subsection may include the removal of the works or filling in of the excavations.

Subsections (1) and (2) above do not apply to works or excavations which are in contravention of section 56(1) or 61(1) of this Act.

This section does not apply to works or excavations to which the street works code, as contained in the M2Public Utilities Street Works Act 1950, applies.

A person upon whom a notice has been served under subsection (1)

above may within 28 days of such service refer the matter by summary application to the sheriff; and the decision of the sheriff on the matter shall be final.

Subject to subsection (7) below, a person who without, or otherwise than in accordance with, the written permission of the roads authority, in conducting operations for the construction, repair, maintenance or demolition of any building, occupies for the purpose of depositing materials or otherwise in connection with those operations, a part of a road, whether public or private, or erects staging or scaffolding which projects over a part of a road, commits an offence.

Such permission as is mentioned in subsection (1) above may be granted either unconditionally or subject to such conditions, including conditions as to the duration of the permission, as may be specified therein; and notwithstanding anything in any enactment or in any rule of law, a person who complies with the permission (including the conditions) does not by the occupation or erection in respect of which the permission is granted commit an offence:

Subject to subsection (7) below, where a person by such occupation as is mentioned in subsection (1) above commits an offence under that subsection, any other person who, in connection with the operations, either by himself or by his servant or agent, deposits materials on the part of the road so occupied commits an offence.

Where a person is charged with an offence under subsection (1) above it shall be a defence for him to prove that he took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid the commission of the offence.

If in any case the defence provided by subsection (5) above involves the allegation that the offence took place on the instructions, or by the authority, of another person, or was due to reliance on information supplied by another person, the person charged shall not, without leave of the court, be entitled to rely on that defence unless, within a period ending seven days before the hearing, he has served on the prosecutor notice giving such information identifying or assisting in the identification of that other person as is then in his possession.

The occupation mentioned in the foregoing provisions of this section does not include occupation with a builder’s skip (within the meaning of section 85 of this Act).

Subject to subsection (6) below, nothing shall be placed or deposited in a road so as to cause an obstruction except with the roads authority’s consent in writing and in accordance with any reasonable conditions which they think fit to attach to the consent.

A person who contravenes subsection (1) above commits an offence.

Without prejudice to subsection (2) above, a person who contravenes subsection (1) above may be required by the roads authority or by a constable in uniform to remove the obstruction forthwith, and commits an offence if he fails to do so.

Subsections (8) and (9) of section 56 of this Act shall apply in relation to anything removed under subsection (4) above as they apply in relation to anything removed under subsection (7) of that section, except that where the removal is by a constable the said subsections (8) and (9) shall be read as if any reference therein to the roads authority were a reference to the police authority.

If the person referred to in subsection (1) above fails to fulfil a requirement imposed on him by that subsection, the roads authority may fulfil the requirement and recover the expenses reasonably incurred by them in so doing from that person.

A person who fails to fulfil a requirement imposed on him by subsection (1) above commits an offence.

A person who, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, takes down, alters or removes any fence, barrier, shoring or other support or protection, or any traffic sign erected in pursuance of subsection (1) or (2) above, or removes, interferes with or extinguishes any light placed in pursuance of either of those subsections to indicate an obstruction or works on or in any road commits an offence.

Subject to subsections (3) and (5) below, the roads authority may permit, subject to such reasonable conditions as they consider appropriate (including, without prejudice to the generality of this subsection, conditions as to future cessation or withdrawal of the permission and indemnification of the authority against claims arising out of what is so permitted), a person to place and leave, or to retain, and thereafter (in either case) to maintain, repair and reinstate, apparatus in or under a public road or proposed public road and to break open, and to have access to, the road or proposed road, for those purposes.

In subsection (1) above, “proposed public road” means a new road in course of construction by or on behalf of the roads authority.

Before giving permission under subsection (1) above, the roads authority shall give not less than 28 days notice of their intention so to do to any other person whose apparatus is, or plans for the installation of apparatus are, likely to be affected by the works which would thereby be authorised.

F1Works carried out by a person in pursuance of permission under subsection (1) above are not undertakers’ works within the meaning of section 1 of the M6Public Utilities Street Works Act 1950.

Subsection (1) above does not apply to the apparatus of statutory undertakers or of local authorities.

This section applies to the occupation of a public road by doing anything which would require the consent or permission of a roads authority under any of the following provisions of this Act—

• section 56 (works executed in or excavations under a public road);

• section 58 (occupation of road for deposit of building materials and erection of scaffolding);

• section 59 (placing or depositing anything in a road);

• section 61 (placing, leaving, retaining, maintaining, repairing and reinstating apparatus in or under a public road); or

• section 85 (depositing a builder’s skip).

For the purposes of paragraph (b) of subsection (1) above, in default of agreement, the roads authority’s view as to what is a reasonable period shall be acted upon pending the decision of the arbiter.

The regulations may provide that if a person applying to the roads authority for consent or permission under any of the provisions of this Act specified in subsection (2) above submits together with his application an estimate of the likely duration of the occupation, the period stated in the estimate shall be taken to be agreed by the authority to be reasonable unless they give notice, in such manner and within such period as may be prescribed, objecting to the estimate.

The amount of the charge shall be determined in such manner as may be prescribed by reference to the duration and extent of the occupation and different rates of charge may be prescribed according to the purpose of the occupation and such other factors as appear to the Secretary of State to be relevant.

The regulations may make provision as to the time and manner of making payment of any charge.

The regulations shall provide that a roads authority may reduce the amount, or waive payment, of a charge in any particular case, in such classes of case as they may decide or as may be prescribed, or generally.

In this section “prescribed” means prescribed by the Secretary of State by regulations.