Group slam state of road surfaces

A group of local residents have been collecting signatures on a paper petition, calling on East Sussex County Council to sort out the state of roads including Southover High Street and Southover Road.

A spokesperson for the campaign said: “Potholes and uneven road surfaces have caused several serious injuries and near misses for pedestrians and cyclists.

“The ancient streets of Southover take a pounding from HGVs going to the recycling centre and railway replacement buses, in addition to everyday traffic.

“Southover High Street and Southover Road were used as major diversion routes during the railway bridge repairs, which lasted for more than eight months. We’re surprised our streets have not yet been resurfaced following such heavy usage.

“Little has been done to repair the roads despite residents’ pleas to the council to resurface them and fill in the potholes. Residents have been left with little option but to start a campaign asking for this to be remedied.

“Hundreds of signatures have been added to our petition, including those of tourists on the route of the official Lewes Town Walking Map. Some of the visitors from around the world were shocked by the poor condition of roads in the area as they made their way to Southover Grange Gardens and Anne of Cleves House.”

Other areas, including the stretch from the Kings Head to Keere Street, was labelled a “disgrace” by residents.

The petition is due to be handed in to East Sussex County Council on May 10.

A spokesman for East Sussex Highways said: “We are aware of concerns expressed by the petitioners regarding wear and tear along Southover High Street and Southover Road.

“In addition to repairs of individual potholes or road defects, which we carry out as required all the year round, we have a rolling programme of resurfacing schemes across the county, and given our limited resources we have to prioritise the roads most in need of repair.

“However, we’re pleased to confirm that this stretch of road is on our schedule for forthcoming works and will be fully resurfaced during this financial year.”

No date has yet been set.

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