Potholed roads around Horsham condemned as 'like a third world country'

So many people in Southwater have complained about the state of the roads to the local parish council that it has contacted West Sussex Council – which is responsible for highways maintenance – asking for action.

And in a statement, the council said: “After receiving several complaints from residents and conducting their own inspections, Southwater Parish Council acknowledges the deteriorating state of the road surface and extensive potholes situated at Worthing Road/Fairbank Road (Lintot Square) Traffic Lights, Southwater.”

The parish council says it has “made various reports and submitted a comprehensive condition survey to Highways to demonstrate the severity of the issue and the need for attention.”

And it says that the county council has acknowledged that “several areas require substantial capital patching.”

These include Worthing Road northbound, bus stop areas, the entrance to Fairbank Road, and an area near Pipers Close, Southwater.

The council says it is waiting for a definitive date for completion of the repairs.

Meanwhile, many residents remain frustrated at the length of time it is taking for repairs to be carried out. And others say that just patching up the holes is a waste of time and money as the holes quickly reappear.

One person said: “The roads are in a disgusting shape and all the lovely councillors have to do is go for a car ride to see how bad they are ... and it’s not just Southwater but Horsham and all surrounding areas are equally bad.”

Another said: “It’s like living in a third world country, just beyond ridiculous. Cars trying to avoid these and many more potholes around the county could end in a bad way.”

Another added: “It’s getting worse by the week and at night you can’t see the deeper holes. Considering the number of visitors to Southwater Country Park and those on bikes around here I’m just waiting for a bad accident to happen.

"Everyone who can should put in a complaint or it will just sit in the pile with others taking priority.”

The county council says: “If a pothole is an immediate risk to public safety, phone 01243 642105. You can report an emergency 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

It says that it repairs potholes greater than 100mm deep and 150mm wide on all roads within five working days and potholes between 40mm and 100mm deep and 150mm wide on all roads within 28 days.

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The spokesperson added: “We do not repair potholes less than 40mm deep on any road, but we will review them at our next inspection.

“We always try to make a permanent repair. Sometimes we need to make a temporary repair during wet weather to make the road safe. We monitor this type of repair closely and if they fail we will fix the pothole permanently.”

More information, and how to report a pothole on line can be found here: https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/maintaining-roads-verges-and-pavements/road-maintenance/potholes/