Last Wednesday, Cadent put up temporary traffic lights on London Road in Brandon without a permit, bringing the town to a standstill.
This seriously delayed drivers getting where they needed to go, commuters from getting to and from work, residents from going to the shops and accessing services and parents from dropping off and collecting their children from school.
After residents, Brandon Town Council, Suffolk Highways and Nick Timothy MP all intervened, the lights were finally removed. Cadent have apologised, blaming an “oversight”, and say they are investigating.
Cadent’s behaviour was unacceptable. They broke the rules, caused major disruption, and have now been issued with an unattributable works notice. They must find a better way to carry out their gas-pipeline works — and this must never happen again.
Cadent insist the postponement will not delay the Rattlers Road project, still due to finish by 19 December.
Nick also asked Cadent about the risk of gas supply interruptions during freezing weather. Their admission that short outages are possible — even with support for vulnerable residents — is simply not good enough. These roadworks should have been more carefully planned, with more extensive consultation and better signage to warn drivers on major arteries allowing traffic to make appropriate diversions.
Nick said: “Suffolk Highways confirmed that Cadent installed the temporary traffic lights on London Road without a valid permit. After justified protests from residents, drivers, Suffolk Highways – and my own representations – the lights were removed yesterday. Great credit must go to members of Brandon Town Council who have worked very hard to get this situation resolved. Cadent’s action was a clear breach of the rules, and the Network Inspector has issued them an unattributable works notice.
“Cadent have been told to find a better way to carry out the gas-pipeline works. Their failure to follow proper procedures brought Brandon to a standstill. It must not happen again. They accept the disruption they caused and postponed further work at the Rattlers Road/London Road junction while they come up with a less disruptive plan. I will be watching their performance closely.”
(C) Photos by Town Councillor David Palmer
Please see the latest comment from Cadent below:
“As soon as we were made aware of the issues the traffic management was removed. We are aware that an oversight occurred in the permit process, and we are investigating internally to understand how this happened.
“The postponement of works at the junction of London Road and Rattlers Road will not affect the timeline for the ongoing project on Rattlers Road itself. We remain on track to complete this work by 19 December. We will work closely with the council and highways team to agree a new date for the junction works.
“At present, we are not planning to postpone the Rattlers Road project. The replacement of 730 metres of ageing gas pipes with new plastic ones is essential to future‑proof the network for decades, ensuring reliable heating for thousands of homes locally and beyond.
We recognise that carrying out this work during the winter months can be challenging. Gas supplies will only be interrupted for small periods while connections are transferred, and customers supplies restored on the same day.
“The work is also being completed in phases so that not all customers are affected at the same time. Importantly, any vulnerable customers whose supply is interrupted will be prioritised for reconnection and provided with alternative heating and cooking arrangements until their service is restored.”
Please see the latest comment from Suffolk Highways below:
Following reports of traffic disruption in Brandon, we have been working closely with Cadent Gas to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
Cadent Gas is currently carrying out works on Rattlers Road under a full road closure. However, the temporary traffic signals that were installed on London Road were not granted by our Network Assurance team. We therefore instructed that these signals be removed immediately.
The granted permit for the traffic signals will now be in place on the A1065 London Road from 1 December 2025 to 12 December 2025, with all works scheduled for completion by 19 December 2025.
We will continue to monitor the area and take any necessary measures to reduce further disruption.
