Contractors owed for cable work
An investigation is under way after it emerged that sub-contractors on a key Welsh Assembly Government project are owed large sums of money.
It is spending £30m to lay a digital broadband line in north Wales.
The work has been done by contractors and it is in this chain where bills have been left unpaid, it is claimed.
The assembly government said it was concerned but not at fault. It is claimed the money is owed by one of the firms brought in to do the work.
Some contractors say they could go out of business if they are not paid.
Among those owed money are a haulage contractor in north west Wales which is due £30,000 and a Cheshire firm which has £250,000 outstanding.
Gareth Clarke from Denbigh said he was expecting to be paid at least £17,000 before Christmas but has still not received the money.
I had lads to pay at Christmas, I had my VAT to pay at Christmas and obviously the tax wants paying too 
"It is one of the biggest utility contracts in the country and we thought with the present climate that there is plenty of work to go out but obviously we haven't been paid for it.
"We have been at the work since mid summer and we have worked very hard but payment has not been forthcoming.
"I had lads to pay at Christmas, I had my VAT to pay at Christmas and obviously the tax wants paying too."
The sub-contractors say they are owed money by a Manchester-based firm called United Formwork.
The BBC has tried unsuccessfully to contact the company by phone.
Fibre optic cable
The £30m Fibrespeed project has seen 200 miles of optic fibre cable laid from Holyhead on Anglesey to Manchester.
It connects business parks and industrial estates between Caernarfon and Wrexham and will allow businesses to connect to a much faster broadband connection.
The work to lay the cable has involved digging up roads and pavements and repairing them.
The assembly government said the people waiting for payment on the Fibrespeed project were not employed by it or its main contractor Geo.
But a spokesman said it was concerned by the allegations and the impact non-payment could have on individuals and their families, particularly in the current economic climate.
An investigation is being carried out by Geo and its main contractor North Midlands Construction, which will be reporting on their findings in the next few days, said the spokesman.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7898695.stm
