VITAL REPAIRS TO CANTELUPE ROAD ARE FINALLY COMPLETED

BY KIM MAYO

AFTER months of waiting Cantelupe Road in Bexhill has finally been reopened to through traffic after the issue with a sinkhole was highlighted by Bexhill News on more than one occasion.

Frustrated residents had demanded to know why repairs to the road had not been carried out even though it had been closed off for months.

However, East Sussex County councillor Ian Hollidge, who represents Bexhill South as a Conservative, explained the reasons why the vital repair work took so long to complete.

When contacted by Bexhill News, Councillor Hollidge said: “Cantelupe Road was closed for safety reasons due to a sinkhole which had to be fully investigated.

“Upon investigation in September, it was discovered that it could have been caused by one of the many utilities found in the excavations.

“Each one was then contacted to ensure there was a coordinated approach in order to solve the problem.

“East Sussex County Council has experience of dealing with this type of issue. An example is the Dorset/Magdalene Road junction where similar work was recently completed.

“The temporary barriers (in Cantelupe Road) which had fallen over in the high winds were stood up with extra sandbags for additional support.

“However, we then had to deal with very high winds as well as some drivers removing barriers and driving through, which didn’t help us and contacting 0345 60 80 193 at any time. Utility works are only part of the cause of carriageway deterioration and a Pothole Review Board was created earlier this year to see how improvements can be made.

“This report was due to go to East Sussex County Council’s Place Committee on November 23.”

With the repairs now carried out Cantelupe Road is once again fully operational.