East Sussex vandals ‘throw temporary traffic lights in hedge and steal its batteries’

An East Sussex County councillor is urging residents to report vandalism on Exceat Bridge between Seaford and East Dean, after the lights had been reportedly damaged a number of times in the last month.

Last night (February 20), one of the lights caught fire, while the other set was thrown into a hedge and the signs tossed into the river.

East Sussex firefighters used a hose reel jet to put the fire out and there were no reports of any injuries.

In recent weeks, batteries from the lights have been stolen, as well as being damaged with air-gun pellets.

Sam Adeniji, county councillor for Seaford North, said: "Removing the lights is the last thing anyone wants since they have proved themselves invaluable. I am working with officers on how repeat occurrences can be prevented. I have proposed a number of options to officers including the installation of CCTV cameras.

"In the meantime if anyone sees suspicious activity around the installation, PLEASE call 999 immediately so that the vandals can be caught."

The lights were put in place in March 2021 to ease congestion on the key coastal route between Seaford and Eastbourne while East Sussex County Council works on a permanent solution.

The temporary lights were installed on the single lane bridge until the completion of a new, two-lane bridge that East Sussex Highways hope will improve traffic flow and reduce congestion.

Construction is not expected to start until the beginning of 2024 and will take between one and two years.

The lights were erected to allow the new bridge to be built alongside the existing one to ensure as little disruption as possible for road users and will remain in place until construction is complete.

Karl Taylor, assistant director of highways operations, said: “These lights have had a positive impact on the bottleneck at Exceat while we work on plans for a replacement, two-lane bridge.

“But, with the equipment consistently coming under attack, we may be forced to remove the lights altogether or use taxpayers’ money to employ security guards to protect them.”

East County Council say the vandalism has been reported and anyone with information is encouraged to contact Sussex Police.