A road in Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex has been closed for emergency repairs due to the discovery of a void at the site of a sinkhole. East Sussex Highways confirmed that Cooden Sea Road in Little Common is closed due to a ‘safety precaution’.
A section of the road was shut after a sinkhole appeared in June and repair work started, says Sussex Express.
Connor Winter, Rother district councillor for Bexhill St Mark’s, said the long-standing issue with the road escalated on Tuesday 18 August 18 when East Sussex Highways began further investigation works and discovered that the void associated with the original sinkhole was considerably more extensive beneath the carriageway than previously understood.
He said the discovery meant that the remaining open lane was closed later that evening.
Following residents’ concerns, Cllr Winter said he contacted the project lead responsible for the Cooden Sea Road works, seeking an immediate explanation for the full closure and a clear deadline for resolving the problem.
He said initial investigations indicated a potential problem involving South East Water infrastructure beneath the highway, requiring further investigation before a permanent repair could proceed.
Cllr Winter said that South East Water confirmed there was no fault with its infrastructure.
He said: “Residents have put up with this sinkhole and the disruption surrounding it for months, so when I learned that the remaining lane had suddenly been closed, I wanted answers immediately.
“I spoke directly with the project lead and made it clear that residents needed more than another vague timescale. We needed to know why the road had been completely closed, what was being done and when we would get it back.”
Cllr Pete Morley, county councillor for the Bexhill West division, added:
“During the excavation, a significant amount of soft and unstable ground was discovered. This has had to be removed to a depth of approximately 1.2 metres, making the repair more substantial than was initially apparent. The voided area is now due to be filled with foam concrete on Monday, which was the earliest available delivery date.
“Further drainage investigations are also continuing and will carry on after the immediate repair has been completed, so that the underlying situation can be properly investigated.
“Importantly, efforts are being made to minimise the disruption to residents and motorists.
“The current plan is to reinstate the section adjacent to the carriageway on Wednesday (August 26). This should allow the full road closure to be reduced to priority traffic management, enabling Cooden Sea Road to reopen to traffic while the concrete continues to cure.”
An East Sussex Highways spokesperson said:
“Voids that form under the highway are, more often than, not caused by water escaping from drainage pipes, sewers, or water mains and, therefore, we always give the local water companies the opportunity to investigate their apparatus.
“In this instance both Southern Water and South East Water confirmed there were no issues relating to their network, so we began further investigations. During our investigations, the hole began to fill with wastewater, and we have now referred the matter back to Southern Water.”
(Picture: Mapillary)
