East Sussex motorists continue to be angered by unfixed potholes

In April of this year, research from the Liberal Democrats showed that the East Sussex County Council had more than 13,000 potholes reported in the financial year of 2021/22, one of the highest amounts of any local authority in the country.

A resident took to social media earlier this week to criticise the number of potholes that still remained on the roads three months later, in comparison to the rest of the country, writing: “Sorry for the rant but I’ve just got back from lovely Cornwall and Devon. Driving around I saw hardly any pot holes. Now I’m back in Lewes there’s still loads of potholes all round the town. It’s just ridiculous. Looking back on previous posts this was mentioned in April. We are nearly in August! Nothing is happening. But the council tax is still way higher than other counties.”

A number of residents supported this point, with one saying: “I know what you mean - back from driving over 600 miles in Scotland and didn't come across 1 single pot hole the whole time!!”

Another added: “I visit my home town Lewes from Belgium fairly regularly and am saddened to see how minor roads en route from Dover to Lewes are disintegrating these past few years.”

HAVE YOU READ THIS?

Missing East Sussex woman found safe after police search

East Sussex volunteers collect outside Aldi, Tesco, and Waitrose for local food banks

'He will be missed' - tributes paid to former Lewes mayor Stephen Catlin

The East Sussex Highways told SussexWorld the county was not alone in the significant increase in the number of potholes following the last winter.

The county council doubled the number of teams repairing potholes to deal with this issue and since the start of 2023, it has repaired more than 20,000 potholes.

According to the Highways, it has now caught up with the excess number and is now dealing with normal levels of pothole repairs for this time of year.

An East Sussex Highways spokesperson said: “We appreciate the public’s frustration, but East Sussex was not alone in seeing a significant increase in the number of potholes following the last winter and we doubled the number of teams repairing potholes to deal with this in East Sussex. Since the start of the year, we have repaired more than 20,000 potholes in East Sussex but we have now caught up and we are dealing with normal levels of pothole repairs for the time of year.

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.

“The majority of our investment in the county’s road network focusses on preventative maintenance to stop potholes and other defects appearing in the first place through schemes such as resurfacing. The county council has recently proposed to invest an additional £15.7 million over the coming year to help improve the condition of East Sussex roads.

“People can find out how and when we repair potholes and report potholes to us directly via our website at www.eastsussexhighways.com.”

A pothole is a depression in a road surface caused by wear or sinking. They start out as tiny cracks in the surface but can grow if not fixed.

The UK is more susceptible to potholes because of its climate. Cold and wet weather, particularly during the winter months, means water can get into those cracks in the road and then freeze, eventually leading to potholes.