THE gas company Transco faces charges of up to £2,000 per day if it fails to complete works in Sheerness town centre by Good Friday.

In a growing row with Swale Borough Council over delays in finishing work replacing gas mains at the High Street and Broadway, the company could also incur penalties if council officers decide that its work to reinstate cobbles and paving falls below standard.

Council highway manager Bedad Haratbar said: “We have read them the Riot Act. The charges could be up to £2,000 per day if they fail to complete the work in time.”

He said penalties could be enforced if reinstatement works were not acceptable. The council could either commission the reinstatement work or make Transco do it as soon as possible.

Mr Haratbar said Transco engineers were given until last Friday (April 11) to finish the High Street reinstatement works and until Good Friday to complete works in Broadway.

The High Street scheme was completed on time but ward councillor Steve Worrall (Lab) said restatement works were unsatisfactory with Tarmac used in some areas instead of cobbles and paving slabs as planned. He doubted if Broadway reinstatement works could be done by Good Friday.

Last week Transco started extra works in Broadway between Royal Road and Trinity Road to replace a gas main and shopkeepers have complained about disruption to trade.

Transco spokeswoman Christine Riches said Tarmac used in reinstatement works was only temporary while they waited for ordered replacement stones to arrive.

Work to put a 'sleeve' pipe through the existing gas main between Trinity Road and Royal Road started today and the whole scheme would be finished by Good Friday.