‘Horrifying’ potholes isolate elderly Horsham area residents

A Storrington resident is urging the council to ‘act now’ and tackle the potholes blighting Horsham district’s roads.
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Russ Fry, founder of Fryern Ladies’ Probus Club, said the state of the roads was ‘horrifying’.

Her call comes amid the County Times’ Pothole Watch campaign, which aims to highlight the issue of potholes around the district.

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She added: “We pay out on an annual basis a hell of a lot of money. What the hell do we get for it?”

Russ Fry is annoyed about the potholes at West Chiltington. Pic Steve Robards SR20021001 SUS-201002-164613001Russ Fry is annoyed about the potholes at West Chiltington. Pic Steve Robards SR20021001 SUS-201002-164613001
Russ Fry is annoyed about the potholes at West Chiltington. Pic Steve Robards SR20021001 SUS-201002-164613001

Russ, who lives in Storrington, said as an older person she felt unsafe using damaged roads at night.

She added that as a result she schedules clubs and meetings earlier to avoid driving at night. Russ said: “We don’t feel really safe and secure. It does kind of isolate you. The local Probus groups and other local organisations have also expressed concerns that the recent heavy rains have left huge puddles on the roads and that the pot holes lying under the water cannot be seen and, with lack of street lighting in West Chiltington, this has caused multiple problems with night driving.

“Many elderly people are isolating themselves by refusing to drive in such conditions.”

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A West Sussex County Council spokesman said it had received no recent reports of potholes in Fryern Road, but repairs have already been scheduled in Greenhurst Lane and Monkmead Lane. He added that temporary pothole repairs are sometimes carried out if there’s an ‘immediate concern’ and temporary traffic lights or other measures are needed.

But he said if the repair fails contractors will fix the issue. He added: “If the community wishes to see an improvement in lighting, this could be considered as a Community Highway Scheme, subject to meeting assessment criteria and technical specifications. However, the area concerned is considered to be rural and to avoid light pollution may not be supported by the wider community / parish councils.”

The county council provides many services in return for council tax, including 5.7 per cent which is spent on highways and infrastructure, he added. In 2019 to 2020 the council repaired 18,514 potholes, he added. He said roads are also resurfaced, micro-surfaced and the surface dressed, with £8.9million invested.

l Potholes can be reported via the Love West Sussex app or on the council’s website, www.westsussex.gov.uk.