Scottish Water issued with penalty for illegal road closures

The Scottish Road Works Commissioner has issued a penalty of £50,000 to Scottish Water for closing roads in Fife and Edinburgh without permission.

These failings were brought to light following reports made by a Fife MSP. The Commissioner then investigated, finding a pattern of unauthorised closure of public roads at fifteen separate locations throughout Fife between April and August 2025. During the course of the investigation, reports received of an illegal closure in Edinburgh City Centre during November 2025, were also confirmed.

The Commissioner has powers to issue penalties up to a maximum of £100,000 where a statutory undertaker has failed to comply with duties to co-operate with roads authorities. The value of the penalty takes into account the number of occasions on which Scottish Water closed roads without permission and also the level of disruption caused to road users. It also takes into account that a penalty for similar breaches was issued in January 2023.

Scottish Road Works Commissioner, Kevin Hamilton said:

“There are times when it is necessary to close roads to carry out works safely. By its nature this can be very disruptive to road users. When utility companies close roads without the permission of the council, this means that those affected only find out after the road has been closed. It also prevents the council from putting in place steps to minimise the effects of the closure on road users. Unauthorised closures are against the law and lead to inconvenience and disruption for all of us. 

It was particularly concerning that this was not the first time that Scottish Water has been penalised for breaches of this type. I will be meeting again with Scottish Water in the near future to discuss an action plan to ensure that they do better in the future. In the meantime I hope this fine serves as a warning to others.”