Calls for urgent repairs to be carried out on 'dangerous' and 'treacherous' potholes in Bexhill road

Andrew Crotty and John Lee said they fear a collision will soon take place in Buckhurst Road unless repairs are done.

Cllr Crotty, town councillor for Bexhill Central Ward, said he first highlighted the problem almost five years ago.

In April 2021 he decided to lie down in a pothole in the road to show how big it was after being told by East Sussex Highways it did not meet criteria for repair.

He said the hole was big enough for two people to lie in, branding it ‘an absolute joke’ and said cars were ‘swerving’ to avoid the hole.

The county council later apologised, saying Cllr Crotty had been ‘incorrectly advised’.

It said at the time that investigations would take place to establish the cause of the damage to the road surface and to determine what repairs needed to be done.

But almost five years on, Cllr Crotty said the problems in Buckhurst Road still persist.

He added: “They (East Sussex Highways) came and did some work but looking at it now I counted from the bottom of Buckhurst Road to the top 40 potholes.

“It's dangerous for people with disabilities to try and cross the road because there's a drain cover that's got gaps around the edges of it.”

He added water was still appearing in parts of the road.

Repair work was carried out in 2024.

Cllr John Lee, town councillor for St Stephen's Ward, said: “These potholes are now absolutely treacherous. They are at least five to six centimetres deep. Cars are having to avoid each other coming up and down this road. It won't be long until there's a collision here, it's just appalling. This road needs closing down. It needs the whole thing resurfacing.”

An East Sussex Highways spokesperson said: “A number of repairs were carried out last week on multiple potholes in Buckhurst Road, Bexhill, as they met our published intervention levels. The road continues to be monitored by the local Highway Steward on a monthly basis and further repairs will be carried out if appropriate and necessary.

“Information about how and when we repair potholes, including our intervention levels can be found at www.eastsussexhighways.com.”