Woman's fury at 'dangerous' pothole in Burgess Hill

A Burgess Hill woman said she had to swerve her car to avoid hitting this 'dangerous' pothole in Burgess Hill.
Liz Macphee next to the pot hole in Cyprus Road, Burgess Hill. Picture: Steve RobardsLiz Macphee next to the pot hole in Cyprus Road, Burgess Hill. Picture: Steve Robards
Liz Macphee next to the pot hole in Cyprus Road, Burgess Hill. Picture: Steve Robards

Liz Macphee, who lives in Leylands Road, Burgess Hill, told the Middy the pothole in Cyprus Road has been left unattended for three months.

She said: "If you drive up Cyprus Road with the cinema on the left you are presented with a huge hole.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"I have had to swerve my car to not hit it and people in the area have been worried about smashing into it too. I think it is very dangerous.

"It has been there for three months. I have never seen a pothole like it."

Liz said she went to West Sussex County Council about the pothole but was told it was South East Water's responsibility.

"The council knew about it, I asked why it had been left with no cones around it," she said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"They said they were aware of it and were going to be repaired within three days. If a car hit that, it would take the front of the car off.

"I worked for 17 years as a field sales representative so I have driven many miles on our UK roads, hundreds of thousands of them, but I have never seen a hole that big unattended on a road before."

The Middy approached the county council for a comment. It confirmed the pothole was South East Water's responsibility. It also said that it has put up warning signs in the road.

Jenny Rhodes, South East Water’s regional network manager, said: “We are aware of a leak on our water main in Cyprus Road, Burgess Hill and our crews will be on site as soon as possible to carry out the repair.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Meantime, we will make a further assessment of the area and take any action necessary to make sure it is safe for motorists and pedestrians.

“Unfortunately leaks and bursts do happen on our network, which has 9,000 miles of underground pipeline transporting 517 million litres of water a day.

"There are also six million joints which have to withstand high pressure 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Inevitably sometimes these pipes and connections fail, but we work around the clock to find and fix them as quickly as possible."