"The jagged edge of the poorly-maintained road surface ripped open the near-side front tyre - my vehicle very nearly spun off the road."

I had a very nasty experience driving to my home just below Rudyard Kipling’s old home, Bateman’s (a National Trust Property). I was coming down the steep road from Burwash when the jagged edge of the poorly-maintained road surface ripped open the near-side front tyre. The vehicle very nearly spun off the road.

SEE ALSO: Rother house prices increased more than South East average in May

A staff member at Bateman’s told me for ages the National Trust had been having difficulty getting the council to clear the drainage ditch running down the West side of that stretch of lane leading to Bateman’s public entrance. The result is every time it rains heavy flows of water spill from the blocked drainage ditch, crossing the road surface and washing away the material on the other side to a depth of several inches, exposing the jagged tarmac to any vehicle coming down the hill.

The ripped tyre needs to be replaced but also the damage extended to the alloy rim and bent it out of shape, to be restored by a specialist garage at a cost of about £130. That stretch of lane is well-known to carry one of the highest traffic flows throughout the year of the whole region, with hundreds of vehicles, including tourist coaches, delivery lorries, farm vehicles and visitors’ cars coming up and down it every week. In fact, right near the dangerous kerb which caused my trouble is a pothole smack in the centre of the lane, exactly where one or other of two oncoming vehicles passing each other could easily find their front off-side tyre crashing into the hole and causing serious damage to a tyre and even the suspension and steering.

Have you read....: GP satisfaction drops in east Sussex

Perhaps for the future the council could make this lane a priority for regular maintenance for the reasons I have outlined above?

For the latest breaking news where you live in Sussex, follow us on Twitter @Sussex_Worldand like us on Facebook @SussexWorldUK