Anger as wind halts pothole filling work in Camber

Jamie McLaughlin says Pelwood Road is riddled with between 30 and 50 potholes of varying sizes and depths.

So Jamie and his neighbours were relieved to see contractors arrive at 9am on Tuesday (August 4) to carry out the much-needed work.

However, the team left one hour later after filling in just four potholes, claiming it was ‘too windy’ to carry out the work.

And to add insult to injury, the team had left behind a pile of gravel and debris on the pavement.

Mr McLaughlin said: “I have got all this rubbish on the pavement outside my driveway which I have to sweep up.

“It’s just wrong.”

He spoke to the Highways Agency depot in Ringmer to ask for the contractors to come back and finish the job.

But he was told the depot had to send a steward round to inspect the site before reporting back and that could not happen for 10 days.

Mr McLaughlin said:“This has been going on for months and months. Now everyone has had enough of it.

“People are too scared to take their cars out.”

He added: “The holes they filled in are not even level.

“It’s like a cake-making class.

“You have got good, hard-working people round here who feel like going out there and doing it themselves.”

A spokesman for East Sussex County Council said: “A highways team was due to carry out repair work in Pelwood Road, Camber, using the Jetpatcher – a device which cleans out crevices with a blast of high-pressure air before filling them with a mixture of sand and bitumen.

“High winds can affect the quality of the repair and the decision was taken to return when conditions improve.

“There is also the added danger that debris from the road could damage parked cars in the process.

“The team has since been back to ensure debris from the damaged road is cleared from pavements and that signs asking drivers to keep the road clear of parked cars are put in place.

“They will return as soon as possible to carry out repairs to the road.”

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