Potholes worse than ever

Last week the Observer reported how angry motorists claim their cars are damaged by stretches of potholes along Peartree Lane.

They say the busy road is dangerous and costly, but it's not the only one needing attention '“ Ninfield Road and Watermill Lane are also riddled with cracks and crevices, and there are plenty throughout the town centre.

Potholes are apparently made worse this year by the repeated freeze-thaw cycle of the current cold spell.

They are formed by water going into the asphalt surface of a road through cracks caused by traffic. When temperatures dip, the water freezes, expands and causes the surface to break up. When the ice then melts, it leaves a gap below the surface which collapses under the stress of vehicles and eventually forms a pothole.

Rosemarie Lagstrom of Watermill Lane lives on stretch of country lane which has become even more uneven and hazardous in recent weeks.

She said: "I think the council made a half-hearted attempt to fill a couple in a few weeks ago.

"But with the really bad ones, you have to know where they are to avoid them, because if you get in them you are in trouble.

"Of course, I live here, so I know where they are, but passing traffic must find them a nightmare. There must be a lot of damage."

Neighbour Max Richardson said: "They have got pretty bad. You have to go across the other side of the road to avoid some of them, which is quite hard because the road is so narrow."

David Hanley at Mount Pleasant workshop and garage in Ninfield Road is at the sharp end of damage to vehicles caused by potholes as he works on their repair.

He said: "The roads get worse and worse. It's good for us in some ways but not good for the general area. For anyone visiting Bexhill, the first thing they see is potholes from Ninfield all the way into town."

A reader contacted the Observer this week to say her 18 year old daughter had driven down Peartree Lane and had a puncture to both her rear and front tyres. She had to be towed to a garage for repair and apart from time wasted and inconvenience this cost her in total almost 300.

A spokesman for East Sussex County Council said: "Our Highways staff are out on the roads, working hard to fix the problems caused by the recent severe weather. The recent spell of freezing conditions has resulted in lots of pot-holes of varying size and depth on our roads and we are investing at least 250,000 in additional maintenance gangs to deal with the pothole problem.

"Pot-holes which exceed a certain size are investigated and either a temporary or permanent repair put in within twenty-four hours. On very busy roads we may use temporary repairs to restrict traffic disruption and then carry out full repairs on a priority and programmed basis. Where potholes are considered to be dangerous we send out maintenance teams to repair them as soon as possible."

Do you know of any potholes in the town? What do you think of our roads? Leave your comments below.