Potholes fine! but beware the ruts!

There has been discussion about the cost of repairs borne by car owners who hit unannounced and deep potholes - and there are plenty of those - but there is an equally if not greater danger lurking at the side of the road where ruts have been gouged from the verges. Some of these seen on the narrower bends in local roads, such as Eatenden Lane to Netherfield and Church/Kent Lane, Mountfield, towards Brighling are up to 9 inches deep and 20 feet long.

It is encouraging that Cllr Ian Jenkins is asking everyone to report these potholes and ruts so as to enable County Highways to get quicker and better repairs done to the damaged road surfaces around Rother District. The County does respond.

Get stuck in a rut though and it can cost you even more than a British Standard pothole. That is because the jagged edge of the road is sharper than a smooth kerb - and if you are stuck the natural reaction is to try and steer out immediately. Resist that, even bring the car to a halt. It will save you a possible fortune.

Experience has proved that such action delivers a hidden hazard, the tearing and blistering of the unseen inner wall of the tyre and wheel. After one such incident this week a modern small wheeled car notched up a £150 tyre replacement cost and retracking when corrective action was taken too quickly. Beware.

Richard Tilden Smith

Church Cottages, Mountfield