Petition launched to dual section of A27

Support for the campaign by Conservative Parliamentary spokesman for Lewes, Jason Sugarman, has been pledged by the county council and a senior East Sussex fire officer.

Mr Sugarman believes building a dual carriageway road around Selmeston will save lives.

He has statistics which show that on the A27 over a six-year period there were seven times as many fatal accidents on the single carriageway section east of Lewes than on the dual carriageway west of the town.

And the majority of those crashes east of Lewes were near Selmeston.

Mr Sugarman told the Express: When I see the evidence of these statistics it is clear that dual carriageways are so much safer and Selmeston is obviously the place to start.

'I believe that most people in this area want to reduce this wasteful loss of life and those living around Selmeston must be fearful that any day another horrific accident will occur.

'This is why I have launched a petition that I plan to deliver to Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Transport, asking her to order a dual carriageway improvement in the Selmeston area at the earliest opportunity.'

Mr Sugarman said the Highways Agency was due to recommend the government this year what measures could be taken at Selmeston.

He added: The importance of public opinion should not be underestimated.'

East Sussex County Council's lead member for transport, Cllr Matthew Lock, said: 'It is my responsibility to reduce the number killed and seriously injured on our roads in East Sussex.

'I am convinced that the only way of achieving this on this section of road is with a dual carriageway at Selmeston.'

Mr Sugarman's campaign is backed by John Ticehurst, District Commander for the Fire and Rescue Service, Lewes division.

His crews are usually among the first on the scene of horrific accidents and have to rescue people trapped in the wreckage of their vehicles.

He said: 'The human impact of these incidents should not be under-estimated.

'The effect on the families and friends of the victims is not only devastating but may also be long lasting.'

To sign up to Mr Sugarman's on-line petition go to www.jasonsugarman.org.uk/a27