Warning issued to drivers after closure of key South Downs road

West Chiltington Road – a key route between the A259 Pulborough and West Chiltington – remains closed at Panners Drive following flooding and ‘severe damage’ to the road surface.

West Sussex County Council says that the road is likely to remain shut for some time and is warning drivers not to remove barriers from the road.

A spokesperson warned today (Thursday): “There is no access between Pulborough and West Chiltington via this route and we urge drivers to refrain from moving the barriers and attempting to travel down this stretch of road.”

He added: “Substantial debris from trees etc have caused a blockage in the culvert that routes a stream under the road. This in turn caused heavy water runoff over the road surface.

“Whilst we have carried out cleansing of the culvert and restored the flow of water under the carriageway, we have identified a problem with one of the culvert pipes which it appears has unfortunately affected the structural integrity of the road.

"We will be carrying out a further inspection to assess the extent of the damage, with a view to identifying a solution for both the damaged culvert and carriageway.

“Our highways team are working hard to resolve the situation as we are aware of how important a route this is in the local area.

"However, we anticipate that it will require a significant amount of work as we will need to repair both the culvert and the underlying road structure before resurfacing can take place.”

A diversion route has been set up from Harborough Hill to The Common to Mill Road (North); The Hollow to Broadford Bridge Road to Adversane Lane (West); Stane Street A29 (South) to Lower Street A283 (East) Mare Hill Road to West Chiltington Road.

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“We ask that all drivers utilise the official diversion route as the surrounding lanes are unsuitable for the higher volumes of traffic that would normally use West Chiltington Road, with concerns around the potential need for lengthy reversing manoeuvres for motorists which could cause safety issues,” said the spokesperson.