A company has been ordered to pay more than £1000 in fines and costs for illegally erecting scaffolding in Brighton & Hove.
Our Highways Enforcement team sought the prosecution after Cross Scaffolding Sussex Ltd had erected six unlicenced scaffolds in the city which were in place between October 2020 and August 2021.
Despite numerous requests to the company to apply for the required licences, which others had continued to do throughout the pandemic, applications were never received. We felt this left us with no option but to begin legal action.
On Friday 4 February, a court heard that a guilty plea had been entered on behalf of the company.
A magistrate ordered the company to pay a £100 fine for each property, totalling £600. They were also ordered to pay £350 in costs and a £60 victim surcharge.
Councillor Steve Davis, Co-Chair of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability committee said: “I hope this serves as a warning to others that we won’t tolerate this kind of behaviour.
“Illegally placed scaffolding can be very dangerous. We will treat any threat to public safety extremely seriously and seek prosecution where we feel people are being put in danger."
As part of the Highways Act 1980 all companies, contractors and householders who want to put objects on the public highway need to obtain a licence from the council.