Eastbourne: A259 closed again amid traffic chaos in Sovereign Harbour

Temporary traffic lights appeared on A259 Pevensey Bay Road and Pacific Drive last week – much to the surprise of local residents.

The lights on the A259 were switched off this morning (Thursday, April 3). However, as of 2pm, we can confirm the lights are back on and traffic is moving slowly again.

Motorists reported being stuck in hour-long queues at the height of the traffic chaos last Thursday (March 27). With no prior warning of the roadworks, several residents were late to work or missed GP and hospital appointments. Others resorted to abandoning their cars.

Laura Rose said: “I had to ditch the car and walk myself and two unwell children to the surgery. My partner had to walk to the Crumbles to get a taxi to work!”

It has now been confirmed the works are being carried out by waste-management company Hutchinson Environmental Solutions.

Hutchinson has been contracted to connect Castle View Court – a residential park off Eastbourne Road – to the main sewer. The roadworks are not in any connection with Aldi or McCarthy and Stone.

A permit for temporary traffic signals was granted by East Sussex Highways, in an agreement with Hutchinson, as part of a ‘traffic management plan’, according to MP Josh Babarinde.

The permit is valid until 11.59pm on April 27, which means the lights can be in place every day until the permit expires or is extended, if needed.

Mr Babarinde said: "What we’re seeing is not success.

"I have written to East Sussex County Council (ESCC) to urge that the traffic management plan be reviewed and adjusted. ESCC has the power to intervene and they need to.”

However, East Sussex Highways said an inspector visited the site on March 27 and ‘confirmed the permit requirements are being met’.

The Highways spokesperson added: “We are aware how frustrating roadworks can be for road users, however, we have a legal obligation to allow developers and utility companies to work on the road network when necessary.

“We are in contact with the contractor to look at what additional measures can be put in place to reduce the delays and congestion, and we will continue to monitor the situation to help minimise the disruption while this work is taking place.”

Kshama Shore, Councillor for Sovereign, said residents ‘feel very let down’, and many have shared their frustrations over being given no prior warning of the roadworks.

David Hutchings, of Monterey Wharf, said: “There was no advanced warning or advice of the major delay.

“When I returned to Pacific Drive later in the day the road was closed with a barrier and no directions of how to get back in there. I continued to drive on to Asda's roundabout trying to join the lanes of traffic and head back, unaware of how I get into Pacific Drive. It was absolute chaos.”

Resident Sharon Waller was unable to pick up her 89-year-old mother from Hampden Park for a doctor’s appointment.

She said: "There was no notice of any traffic delays, and so when I left home to go pick her up, I found North Harbour gridlocked, and by the time her appointment was due over an hour later, I was still stuck in North Harbour.”

East Sussex County Council told the Eastbourne Herald that its Highways department doesn’t publish information for utility or development works.

“It is the responsibility of the relevant company concerned to inform residents of their works,” an ESCC spokesperson said.

Peter Steadman, operations manager for Hutchinson Environmental Solutions, said his company was not informed of this responsibility.

He said: “We applied for permits from the council. It took months to get them through. They gave us a set of conditions to work against, which we are doing.

"We’ve worked to exactly what they’ve asked us to do.”