East Sussex Highways accused of flash-closing entire roads to spend yearly budget

The East Sussex Highways has been accused of using the flash-closures of roads to spend all of its road-patching budget by the end of the financial year.

A former employee has accused the highways of this tactic, claiming when they worked for the organisation it was used due to the fear of showing an underspent budget.

The individual gave recent examples where the Highways had sent expensive leaflets to residents regarding extensive road closures on Ditchling Road, which turned out to be a metre by ten metres patch.

The ex-highways employee said: "The Highways sent one expensively leafleted beforehand to numerous properties to say that they would not have access to and from them for more than six hours on a specific day.

"I had phoned the Highways using the number given on the leaflet to ascertain exactly where the works were to take place - and was given the same information that was given in the leaflet: that a distance of over half a mile, affecting hundreds of properties, even extending into a different county, was to be closed preventing vehicular access to and from those properties, with diversions to be put in place."

The individual said despite a number of people anticipating a 'expensive and extensive' road closure, there was no restriction on their access and general traffic.

They said: "the Highways warned they were closing three quarters of a mile of road with hundreds of residents potentially affected within it.

"The advice had been sent to households - If you need vehicle access discuss this with the team on site to see if this is possible.

"The actual amount of road patched about a metre by ten metres and doesn't even extend fully over the damage one would assume they were addressing."

This resident said there are two large areas within half a mile of the road closure that are in 'desperate' need of repair because of the need for decent tyre traction over them.

They explained: "One, a busy mini-roundabout, and the other an area that The Highways were called down to look at some months ago, where lorries had been turning and taking a bit of the B road with them on several occasions. This has never been addressed despite it being an almost concealed exit for a hamlet of houses just over the brow of a hill.