“We are expected to zig-zag through this unnavigable assault course,” says Hannah Sindall about the B2082 to Iden. “I’m angry about the perpetual state of neglect and inadequate repairs.”
Hannah and Clare Pasieka-Bloomfield are cataloguing the potholes that mark the road from Playden to the Kent/Sussex border.
“I have been reporting the state of this road for over two years to East Sussex Highways,” she says. “I take regular (almost weekly) photographs of these fissures, crevasses and potholes risking life and limb in a hi-viz vest. Contractors repair one hole and leave us with gaping holes right next to the one they’ve repaired.”
Her daily journey from Wittersham to Rye confirms her view that places along the B road are forgotten when it comes to road repairs. “Why have other roads which serve Rye been repaired? It connects Tenterden to Rye and serves so many rural communities, but the gaping holes mean not knowing whether I’ll reach Rye or get safely into Kent.”
Both sides of Iden are affected, she says. “The sloped section just as you fork right onto the B2082 toward Iden is horrendous, there has been one particularly deep pothole on the opposite side of the road with two bollards placed in the hole. Going through Iden there is a patchwork of potholes necessitating judicious steering. As you descend to lower levels on the approach to the bridge crossing the River Rother the road has been patched but there are lethal potholes abutting the verges and mid lane. The road surfaces are ‘corrugated’ in places.”
Hannah has started a petition demanding action is taken now. Sophie Toby has started another. Hundreds of people have supported both petitions.
Iden Parish Council has been expressing its concern about the condition of the B2082 for many months. Last year it sent a comprehensive letter to the Head of Highways with photographs, but received a standard reply explaining the resurfacing cost was unaffordable.
Chairman Michael Miller said, “Bearing in mind the considerable anger, the road condition continues to deteriorate, despite regular patching. The Parish Council welcomed the petitions in recent weeks which had tremendous public support.”
East Sussex Highways has confirmed part of the road is scheduled for repair, but it is yet to appear on the schedule of upcoming work.
“We are aware of the condition of some stretches of the B2082 between Playden, Iden and the Kent/Sussex border,” said a spokesperson. “In the past six months we have carried out 49 pothole repairs with two outstanding which are due for completion within the next few days. We plan to resurface the worst affected areas of the road including the 150-metre downhill section of the B2082 closest to the A268 in the new financial year.”
But there’s no news on the section through Iden and towards the Kent border. “We prioritise our repairs based on the size and location of the pothole, among other criteria, and details about when and how we carry out these repairs can be found on our website. To repair every pothole regardless of whether it meets our intervention levels would cost about four times the amount currently spent and would place an even greater burden on council taxpayers.”
That’s not good enough, said Michael Miller, “Whilst at least this small section is being addressed, it is by no means the worst and the campaign for a complete resurfacing or the entire section of this road will continue.”
East Sussex Highways is urging local people to use this online link to report potholes.
Image Credits: Hannah Sindall & Clare Pasieka-Bloomfield , Google Maps/Hannah Sindall & Clare Pasieka-Bloomfield .