The fact that they dug it up a few weeks earlier can often be intentional.

In December, Thames Water dug up the road in Wood Vale and then closed it all up again the next day but left quite a bit of blue paint around. And then they've opened it all up again last week and, presumably, fixed it.

A neighbour spoke to the contractors and was told that they often do an initial dig to check the extent of the work required. If it looks like a simple fix, they'll do it then and there but if they think it's a bigger job but not an emergency, they'll fill back in and schedule it in for a proper fix.