Call for urgent repairs to ‘dangerous’ potholes in busy Burgess Hill road

Mustak Miah, 45, owns Flavour in Keymer Road and lives in Denham Road, which means he has to drive along Royal George Road almost every day.

“It is pretty bad around here and it’s been going on for ages,” said Mustak, adding that the road’s condition is ‘an accident waiting to happen’.

Mustak said he first reported the Royal George Road potholes in June 2021 after he wrecked a tyre by going down a pothole in Valebridge Road.

He said the council fixed the Valebridge Road one but the Highways department told him the potholes on Royal George Road were ‘not deep enough for their intervention’.

Mustak said he understands the council has regulations but said these potholes have a significant impact on drivers and feels that they need to be repaired as soon as possible.

“By the mini roundabout where the little Tesco is, it’s really bad,” said Mustak, adding that drivers have to swerve to avoid the potholes as soon as they enter Royal George Road.

“They’re quite deep and sometimes you cannot avoid them because you’ve got other cars coming on the other side,” he said.

Mustak said the potholes near Fairfield Road are particularly dangerous when they fill with water because they are hard to see. He also thinks there has been a water leak on this part of the road.

“If a motorcycle came through and didn’t realise and hit that pothole then that is an accident waiting to happen,” he said.

Mustak said Royal George Road’s poor condition could lead to a lot of damaged vehicles because it is a route many drivers take every day.

A West Sussex County Council spokesman said: “The Royal George Road in Burgess Hill is in the resurfacing programme for the 2022/23 financial year, although it is too early to say exactly when this work will be done.”

He said Highways officers will monitor the area and safety repairs will be carried out when required, in accordance with the council’s highway inspection regime.

“West Sussex County Council is responsible for maintaining around 2,500 miles of road: A and B roads are ordinarily inspected monthly, C-class and main distributor roads on a three or six-monthly basis and declassified roads are typically inspected annually,” he added.

The spokesman said the council appreciates the public’s help spotting and reporting potholes via its online form.

“If a pothole is a significant and immediate risk to public safety, please telephone 01243 642105,” he said.