Under siege as repairs drag on

A number of residents who live in Normandale say road surfacing by East Sussex Highways Agency (ESHA) that should have taken three days has dragged on and they have not been informed as to why there is a delay.

One 92 year old resident, who did not want to be named, relies on his car to get out. He said: “We received notices from ESHA that road surfacing would commence on August 13 and would last for three days. The workmen worked up to Friday, came back for their digger and went away leaving us stranded.”

Ian Gwinnell, said the works affect around 24 flats and most have garages. He said: “Several people rang ESHA but no one seems to know what’s going on. No one can get their cars in or out of the garages.”

Brian Tring said they were not told that the whole road would be blocked off. “Ninety per cent of residents are retired and rely on their cars. They are angry because they’ve not been kept informed about what’s happening. There’s a complete wall of silence.”

Roger Williams, East Sussex County Council’s head of highways, said: “During resurfacing work in Normandale, contractors discovered the road had weakened and collapsed making it unsafe for vehicles to use. We closed the road and wrote to all residents explaining the situation. We will carry out work on the road from Friday and will reopen it to traffic as soon as it is safe to do so. The decision to close a road is never taken lightly and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.”