LETTER: Our pavements are atrocious

Returning to the subject of dangerous pavements, as highlighted by correspondents a few weeks ago, some years ago I wrote to East Sussex County Council complaining about the state of the ones where I live, which are atrocious. At the time there seemed to be endless ongoing work being done to the roads and pavements in Polegate and I wanted to know why we couldn't expect the same attention. I was fobbed off with various excuses.

Then, towards the end of last year, I decided to have another go and wrote to Caroline Ansell, asking her to intercede with the county council, which she kindly did.

A few weeks later we received a visit from the so-called Highway Steward for this area. He told us he would inspect the street and recommend to the council what needed to be done, my husband and I having informed him that the whole lot needed re-doing.

I then received a letter from the Customer Services Manager for East Sussex Highways, saying that the necessary work would be completed within 28 days. Since then nothing appears to have happened, so last week I wrote to the lady in question, asking why nothing had been done.

To her credit, she replied very promptly, but to my surprise she said that repairs had been made to one or two paving slabs outside certain houses, none of which we had been aware of because we cannot see these houses from where we live.

One particular part, which I had pointed out to the Highway Steward as being particularly dangerous, has not been touched and the fact is the whole of the pavement area needs re-laying.

They actually replaced the paving slabs with Tarmac on one of the estate’s roads a few years ago, apparently as a result of somebody having an accident, so that apparently is the only way to get anything done!

I wouldn’t mind, but as I pointed out to the Customer Services Manager, they seem to lavish enough attention and money on cycle paths for the the minority to ride in safety, so why should we pedestrians who are in the majority not have an equal right to walk in safety?

MRS L. SIMMONS

Treemaines Road