Latest news with #EastSussexCountyCouncil
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Cyclist breaks bones after pothole left unfilled
A cyclist was left with a broken cheekbone and elbow after he hit a pothole covered with water before blacking out. The BBC can reveal Surrey, East and West Sussex, Brighton and Kent councils paid out £4.1m in compensation to road-users over the past five years. Crowborough resident Gianni Montoro, who was cycling in Station Road in Groombridge, said: "My front wheel never came out of that pothole, my back wheel came up and I got catapulted down to the ground." East Sussex County Council wished Mr Montoro a speedy recovery and said they carried out a temporary repair before the incident, but could not do a permanent repair due to water on the road. The pothole was submerged in water and had been reported to East Sussex County Council by a resident four weeks before the accident. "I hit the ground like a potato bag," Mr Montoro said. The father-of-two has been cycling for more than 20 years but said the incident had left him shaken. "The pothole was left, I couldn't see it, I had no idea what was coming, I just know I couldn't swerve to protect myself," added Mr Montoro, who owns the delicatessen Arte Bianca in Tunbridge Wells. He said: "If any other cyclists had gone the same way that morning they would have had the same destiny as mine. No chance." The pothole was repaired a few days after the accident. Groombridge resident Sarah Andrews said she reported the pothole on the Fix My Street App. She said the council came out and marked the pothole to be fixed but it was not filled in. Ms Andrews added: "The pothole was bad and was getting progressively worse. "It was bigger than my foot and I'm a size five, the water was eventually up to my ankle." Ms Andrews said residents had put a traffic cone in the pothole to alert drivers and cyclists, but the cone got damaged. "Why didn't the council put up a barrier or cordon it off so people knew it was there?" she added. Duncan Dollimore, from charity Cycling UK, said potholes could be "potentially life-changing" to cyclists. Every year 40 cyclists are seriously injured from potholes and between two and three die, Mr Dollimore says. He added: "It puts people off cycling which has massive health, environmental and wellbeing benefits so we should be doing more to make sure this isn't a problem." Additional reporting by Alex Bish. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Cyclist thought 'this is it' after pothole crash Pothole that caused serious cyclist crash not fixed Unfixed road crack led to cyclist's death East Sussex County Council Cycling UK
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
More than 200 drivers get warning for driving in A259 bus lanes
More than 200 motorists have been sent warning letters for driving in bus lanes since East Sussex County Council began a clampdown a week council announced it would begin sending warnings to anyone caught illegally driving in two sections of bus lane in Telscombe Cliffs and St Leonards from 6 of 12 May, it had sent 173 letters to motorists incorrectly using the bus lane in Telscombe Cliffs and 74 to people in St Claire Dowling, the council's lead member for transport, said: "Enforcing these bus lanes on such a key coastal route will help to ease congestion and improve air quality by encouraging people to make use of the more reliable bus services." The enforceable bus lane in St Leonards runs from the start of Grand Parade to the western most junction with Warrior Telscombe Cliffs, the bus lane runs along the South Coast Road from the junction of Ambleside Avenue to the border of Brighton & have been in place for a number of years but the council has recently installed new digital cameras to catch people driving in them illegally and is sending out warning the "warning period" will come to an end and drivers will instead be sent £70 fines, although the council would not confirm when it would begin issuing the Dowling said: "The misuse of bus lanes affects journey times for passengers and the reliability of public transport, as well as being frustrating for those motorists who follow the regulations."Bus lanes are identified by road markings and signs, and are also separated from normal traffic lanes by a solid white generated by bus lane fines will be reinvested into local transport, the council said.
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Public inquiry set to begin into new Exceat Bridge over A259
A public inquiry is set to begin on Tuesday into plans for a replacement road bridge in East Sussex County Council is moving forward with plans for a new two-way bridge to replace the current single lane Exceat Bridge on the A259 between Seaford and inquiry at County Hall in Lewes will examine plans to purchase land required for construction of the new from the authority show it wishes to use Compulsory Purchase Orders (CROs) to acquire the land needed for the project from the current owners. Part of the land needed for the project is already owned by the council, but compulsory purchase of extra land would "enable an early implementation" of the bridge scheme, said the inquiry, which is expected to last four days, will also hear from objectors to the proposed April, the council agreed to "redirect" more than £11m from its Bus Service Improvement Plan to the council had previously considered plans for a like-for-like single lane bridge but cabinet member Nick Bennett said the authority was opting for "something far more substantial that supports the infrastructure for a long time".Opposition councillors had urged the council to instead focus on other road improvement measures such as tackling traffic in Newhaven.
BBC News
04-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Eastbourne barbers give teenagers free haircutting workshops
Two barbers in East Sussex are running free haircutting workshops for eligible teenagers to help give back to their Grant, from Bourne Barbers in Eastbourne, ran his first round of workshops alongside colleague Kurtis Clark for 15 teenagers during the Easter 'barbering holiday club' was funded in part by East Sussex County Council (ESCC) as part of its 'holiday food and fun programme', but the barbers also shouldered some of the Grant said: "It keeps them out of the town's streets and stuff like that and they are gaining something out of it, so for me that's irreplaceable." Mr Grant said he also wanted to show the students that there were other paths for teenagers other than going to explained: "I think schools put too much pressure on it nowadays to become so highly educated, whether it's through university or whatever, but I don't think it's always necessary to be fair."He said he "wanted to show them that there's other options" because "not everyone is academic".The recent round of free workshops was for teenagers who were eligible for free school dinners, but Mr Grant said there could also be paid places in the future to fund more spots. Mr Grant said: "When I first started I had to pretty much learn from other barbers, you learn from your peers, but if I had someone who could give me good direction when I started I would have probably progressed a lot faster."The next round of workshops is being held in the said: "The four-day holiday club was popular with our young people and provided the opportunity for them to gain barbering experience in a friendly, fun atmosphere and enjoy a nutritious lunch."
ITV News
27-04-2025
- General
- ITV News
Rye campaigners call for better accessibility in town on 'Mobility Awareness Day'
ITV Meridian's Megan Samrai reports from the demonstration in Rye A demonstration has taken place in a Sussex town to highlight the accessibility issues many disabled people can face in their everyday lives. A group made the journey through Rye in wheelchairs, holding a 'Mobility Awareness Day.' Campaigners wanted to show how difficult it can be to get around the town for disabled people and are calling for improvements to pavements and kerbs. They said they don't want accessibility issues to be people's first impressions of the historic town, but want it to be more inclusive for all. Able-bodied people were also invited to join the demonstration in wheelchairs to experience the challenges firsthand. One of the organisers, Dan Lake, said accessibility issues include "people parking on the paths, blocking drop down kerbs. Paths that are broken." And he said they want to raise awareness of where drop down kerbs could be introduced. "It would be nice for everybody to get around Rye and not have to worry 'I can't go there, I can't go there.'" He added that problems in the town aren't only affecting wheelchair users, but people with mobility scooters and pushchairs or prams. Wheelchair user, Nikita Cunningham, said: "It can be really lonely when you don't really know where to go. There isn't much in the way of information." "I've found other people to talk to today that can tell me where places are that we can go. And it's been so nice to know that there are more options because I'd avoided town for a while for that reason." Another wheelchair user at the demonstration, Sheila Goldsmith, said: "We can't access the town properly. We know it's an old town, we don't want it to change. But small changes to dropped kerbs would be a great thing - and a few more shops that are accessible." A spokesperson for East Sussex County Council said: 'We receive many requests for dropped kerbs in public areas and recognise how important they are to those who rely on them to access shops and services. 'Due to the significant financial pressures the council is facing, we only have a limited amount of funding to develop local transport improvements, including dropped kerbs, and prioritise our work to ensure that funding is distributed equally throughout the county. 'We are currently in the process of evaluating and approving dropped kerb installations for this financial year, including potential sites in Rye, and the approved locations will be confirmed in the coming weeks. 'Inspections of all our pavements are carried out regularly by our Highway Stewards to ensure the 1,500 miles of footpaths which we are responsible for across the county are maintained to a safe standard. 'While the pavements in the centre of Rye are inspected every three months as part of a walked inspection route, we would always encourage residents to report any concerns directly to us via the East Sussex Highways website to enable us to take any necessary action as quickly as possible.'
