Man lies down in Bexhill pothole which did not meet criteria for repair

Andrew Crotty said the hole in Buckhurst Road was ‘an absolute joke’ and was causing motorists to swerve in order to avoid hitting it.

The pothole is located next to a bus stop outside a block of flats and is also close to the entrance to St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary School.

Mr Crotty wrote to East Sussex Highways in March to complain about the state of the road and was told that the area had recently been inspected by the local highway steward. In a letter to Mr Crotty, East Sussex Highways said ‘although there are areas of poor condition, these did not currently meet our intervention level’.

The letter said carriageway with a change level ‘greater than 40mm and at least 300mm in all other directions will be scheduled for repair within 28 days’.

Dissatisfied with the council’s response, Mr Crotty, who is 5ft 11in, visited Buckhurst Road on Wednesday morning (April 7) and chose to lie down in the pothole to show its size.

Dressed in a hi-vis jacket at 8am when the road was slightly quieter, Mr Crotty said the hole was big enough for two people to lie in.

“It’s an absolute joke,” he said. “I decided to lie down in it to show just how big it is, because nothing has been done to fix it.

“Roads all around Bexhill have been neglected. I can only think of the seafront road near the De La Warr Pavilion that has had any work done to it.

“The pothole is exactly in line with the bus tyres when they pull into the bus stop. As it’s outside the two new blocks of flats, I can only think the road was damaged by heavy vehicles while they were being built and no repairs have been carried out.

“There’s also a fire hydrant located next to the pothole which presumably is there in case there’s a fire in one of the flats. I’m in contact with the fire service about any potential impact the road could have on the water pressure below the road surface.”

Mr Crotty said he observed motorists swerving out of the way of the pothole on Wednesday morning, as well as an ambulance ‘rattling up the road’ after being driven over it.

“I’m not sure what else needs to happen for it to be repaired,” added Mr Crotty. “Cars are already swerving which is dangerous for all other road users, and what if a school child were to trip when crossing the road? Will it take an accident for something to be done?

“It’s the school half term at the moment so there was time for the road to be repaired if they had sorted it as soon as possible.”