Southwick Tunnel: Take a look at emergency exercise operation amid 'secret military bunker' rumours

National Highways, which operates and maintains the strategic road network, has given the public an ‘exclusive peek’ into the drill – codenamed Exercise Higgins.

The emergency exercise involved a road traffic accident and an electric vehicle fire, which was carried out last night (Thursday, September 29) in the A27 tunnel.

"It has long been subject to speculation that it is the entrance to a secret military bunker,” a National Highways spokesperson said.

“Over 100 people were involved in this multi-agency emergency exercise.

"As well National Highways, participants from West Sussex Fire Rescue Service, East Sussex Fire Rescue Service, the local authorities and the Environment Agency also took part.”

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National Highways said exercises such as this are necessary as part of safety and business continuity plans and require the tunnel to be closed ‘to make it as realistic as possible’.

All agencies tested their individual and joint operational procedures, operations and life safety systems, as well as other elements such as smoke detectors, alarms, fire, evacuation and sprinkler systems, both on site and remotely.

John Nicholas, Southwick Tunnel manager at National Highways said: “The A27 Southwick Tunnel live exercise is one of the many opportunities that National Highways takes to work with local emergency services, local authorities and stakeholders to test, validate and train in a controlled environment on the strategic road network.

"The planning and preparation for these events takes many hours of dedication from each participating organisation which leads to improvements in training, refinements in procedures, reprioritisation of investment works with better working knowledge and stronger working relationships for all involved.”

The Southwick Hill Tunnel – one of seven road tunnels in the South East operated by National Highways – is a 490-metre twin bore road directed to the north of Southwick, opened in early 1996 as a part of the A27 Brighton bypass and carries the road under Southwick Hill.

For more information and the latest travel alerts, visit www.nationalhighways.co.uk/travel-updates/travel-alerts/ or call 0300 123 5000.

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