Street is dug up for 164th time

It is the road that has been dug up an astonishing 163 times in the past year. And as traffic grinds to a halt once again, workmen return to Holborn and High Holborn for the 164th time.

From gas pipes to communications cables to road resurfacing, the reasons for the work are many. But the effect is always the same: gridlock. And this time it's going to last until Christmas.

The project, to resurface the whole road at a cost of £600,000, will take 19 weeks and involves up to three of High Holborn's four lanes being shut at any one time. The work is needed to counteract what engineers call "heave" - when the road buckles under sheer weight of traffic, creating a rippling effect on the tarmac.

"High Holborn wasn't originally designed to carry quite as much traffic as it does," said a spokeswoman for Camden council, which is carrying out the work. The aim, come the end of December, is that the route - a main artery from the City to the West End - will at last be able to cope with 21st-century traffic levels.

But for the next four months, there will be "absolute chaos" according to the RAC Foundation. Its executive director, Edmund King, said: "High Holborn is one of the most important crossroads in north-east central London."

Shops are suffering too. Some traders say their income is down by a fifth. Vibha Davda, who runs Holborn News, said: "Before the work started we used to have a lot of taxi drivers and people in cars parking outside and popping in. Now people can't even cross the road to get to us."

Her husband Ashok said business was down at least 20 per cent: "When one lot of roadworks finish, another one starts. We deserve compensation. The road has been closed for four days and they've only just started working. And all the time we are losing business."

Meanwhile Transport for London has just signed a deal with Camden to charge utility companies £500 a day to dig up major routes in the borough. Derek Turner, roads chief at TfL, estimates that 80 per cent of roadworks are caused by utility companies.

The "lane rental" scheme aims to encourage gas, electricity, water and communications firms to work together, and more swiftly. If the 18-month trial is successful, Mayor Ken Livingstone will extend it across London. Camden is one of the London boroughs worst hit by roadworks. Last year Haverstock Hill was dug up 140 times, Tottenham Court Road 92 times.

Mr Turner said: "At present there is no statutory requirement for companies to co-ordinate or give advance notification of their works in many cases. A contractor can begin work in the morning and notify the borough retrospectively, by midday on the same day."

However, the National Joint Utilities Group, which represents the majority of utility companies, warned that if the scheme were introduced nationwide it could cost £1.2 billion a year - equivalent to an extra £50 on household bills.

Its head, Irene Elsom, said all road repairs had to be carried out to a national standard and were checked by councils, which could order unsatisfactory work to be done again. "There's no evidence that we contribute to the deterioration of road surfaces," she said.

"Utility companies will have to carry out their work regardless of being charged. They mainly contract out their work. It's in everybody's interests to complete as quickly as possible."

In April last year, the Government gave councils the power to fine utility companies up to £2,000 for each day that work overruns an agreed deadline. Westminster council issued fines of more than £1 million by the end of the year.