Traffic chaos after Polegate level crossing gets stuck

Traffic was redirected in Polegate earlier today (Wednesday, September 22) after the level crossing became stuck in the down position.

Southern Rail posted on social media that they were aware of a fault with barriers at a level crossing between Eastbourne and Lewes at 1.09pm.

As a result of the issue with the barriers, Southern said their trains had to run at a reduced speed in both directions – creating potential delays of up to five minutes.

At 1.15pm, Southern said Network Rail employees were on site to investigate the issue as ‘emergency services’ were contacted to help manage traffic.

According to Southern, the disruption was cleared at 2.02pm.

A spokesperson said, “If your journey has been delayed by 15 minutes or more, please use delay repay to claim compensation.”

A British Transport Police spokesperson said, “The level crossing’s barriers were stuck in the down position. The road was therefore closed and traffic redirected as this was rectified.”

A spokesperson from Southern said, “There was a fault with the level crossing, reported at around 12.40pm, which Network Rail engineers fixed within the hour.”

Network Rail has been contacted for more information.