Mid Sussex potholes anger residents

Potholes across Mid Sussex are frustrating Middy readers.
Burgess Hill potholeBurgess Hill pothole
Burgess Hill pothole

Potholes in Mid Sussex are frustrating Middy readers, who have taken to our Facebook page to complain about ‘giant’ holes damaging their cars.

Kevin Lawrence said: “Cants Lane is almost undrivable in the middle section and there are some huge holes at the top.

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“I read somewhere that to gain the initial planning permission for the new houses on the Keymer Tile site the developer was required to ensure that both Cants Lane and Junction Road would be resurfaced.

“Is this still enforceable? Or did the council waive this requirement in subsequent planning amendments?

“Surely these issues should be paid for by the infrastructure fund all the developers of the many new houses in town have to contribute to?”

Several readers shared their thoughts on the quality of repairs, with Tracey Symons saying ‘stop using the cheapest option’, and Pam Blackburn saying ‘re-patching the potholes with cheap tar and stones isn’t the answer.’

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Last week saw National Pothole Day (January 15), which was created to raise awareness of the ever-growing pothole problem on our roads.

Research has revealed that rural drivers spend triple that of city drivers on pothole-caused repairs, according to figures from the County Councils Network.

And Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com, said: “Our research finds that almost 28 per cent of drivers have had an accident or a near-miss because of potholes.

“Almost 40 per cent of drivers have had to pay out over £100 to repair the damage that potholes have caused.”

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In Mid Sussex, Cants Lane, Burgess Hill and Balcombe Road, Haywards Heath were two of the most complained about roads.

Jonathan Kitcherside said: “I have driven up farm tracks that are in better condition than some of the roads in Burgess Hill.”

According to West Sussex County Council they inspect A and B roads monthly, and quieter routes less often.

They said: “We always try to make a permanent repair. Sometimes we need to make a temporary repair during wet weather to make the road safe. We monitor this type of repair closely and if they fail we will fix the pothole permanently.”

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According to West Sussex Highways, they repaired 18,514 potholes in 2019 to 2020 - about 350 a week - investing £8.9 million into potholes in 2019/20 and treating 806,000 square metres of carriageway.

They say ‘significantly-sized’ potholes are fixed within 28 days.

West Sussex County Council said: “We can confirm the Borde Hill pothole was repaired on Tuesday, January 7 and a temporary repair has been undertaken on the Copyhold Lane defect with further works scheduled.

“These are some of the main defects which have occurred recently due to the adverse weather and our contractor and inspection teams are doing all they can to identify, prioritise and repair hazards.”