Call for urgent action on ‘monster’ Lewes pothole: cars swerve to avoid damage that is getting larger, say councillors

They are urging East Sussex Highways to repair the damage on West Street quickly, saying that the pothole has been reported multiple times by councillors and residents.

East Sussex Highways has confirmed that the pothole is in its programme to be repaired. People can report potholes at www.eastsussexhighways.com.

Lib Dem town councillor Kevin West, said: “This pothole is a true monster. Anyone driving down West Street has to swerve to avoid it or risk damaging their car. We all understand that East Sussex Highways have a big job to do, but telling residents that it could be up to a month before they'll repair it is unacceptable. We are calling on East Sussex Highways to take urgent action to repair this monster pothole before it causes an accident.”

Business owner Derek Allen said: “I reported this pothole at the end of last year, but it still hasn't been repaired and it's just getting larger.”

Housebuilder welcomes approval of 90 new homes in Uckfield

Lib Dem Lewes District councillor Janet Baah said: “I am always being contacted by residents about the state of the town's roads.”

She said: “The West Street pothole is particularly serious as a cyclist could be badly hurt if they hit it at speed. I am reporting potholes every week and the Lewes Lib Dem will continue to fight to get the road repairs our town needs.”

An East Sussex Highways spokesperson said: “We are aware of this pothole on West Street in Lewes, and it is in our work programme to be repaired.

“Along with the rest of the country, East Sussex roads have suffered from the extreme weather experienced in recent years. To deal with the increasing number of potholes we have seen over the winter period, we currently have double the number of crews working to carry out repairs as quickly as possible. In addition the county council recently agreed to invest an additional £15.7 million on top of the annual highways budget to repair the damage to our road network. We are responsible for more than 2,000 miles of road so prioritise our work, according to locally approved policies, to ensure potholes that present the greatest danger to road users are repaired as quickly as possible.”