‘Third world’ potholes are raising officer stress levels

This was according to a councillor at a Petworth Town Council meeting on Thursday, who told county councillor Chris Duncton the roads were still a major concern.

In response, Cllr Duncton said he was concerned at the level of criticism highways officers were coming under because of the adverse road conditions.

“It’s going to be an ongoing problem,” he said.

“I fear for our highways officers for the stress and pressure they’re under.

“One officer had to deal with 150 emails in one morning.”

He added he felt there was also another important issue that needed addressing.

“Everything comes down to the highways but there are a lot of landowners that don’t do their bit as well,” he said.

“There are a lot of landowners that don’t look after their responsibilities.”

Cllr Duncton made his comments at the meeting after being questioned by town councillor John Robbins.

“The roads are nothing but a scandal and a disgrace.

“It’s what you would expect in a third world country,” he said, before adding they were a ‘public danger’.

West Sussex County Council said it has used £500,000 from the £8.25m taken from the reserves released as part of Operation Watershed to tackle potholes.

The operation is seeking to tackle the effects of flooding, and ensure communities are better prepared for future bad weather.

A county council spokesman said the £500,000 work was in addition to the potholes which Balfour Beatty was contracted by the council to repair each year.

However, at the meeting Cllr Duncton said taking this money would still not resolve the long-term problem.

“Unless we got a huge amount of cash from central government I can’t see how it’s going to be addressed,”  he said.

“I think our rural roads are not in good nick.”

Cllr Duncton has said he will not be standing at the next county council election in May.

He said during his time as a county councillor, the biggest issue of his time had been the state of the roads.

He spoke at the meeting of the increased number of vehicles using the road, particularly citing an increase in the number of vehicles making home  deliveries.