Residents speak out about state of 'neglected' Pagham roads after flooding

The road was first closed on December 9 last year for flood damage repairs, but the month-long loss of a major route in and out of Pagham has caused serious issues for residents, locals say.

Closing Lower Bognor Road has diverted traffic to the nearby Pagham Road and Lagness Roads, both of which have suffered from minor flooding.

"There have been accidents because of the lack of signage,” said resident Jeanette Coleman. “People are driving in the floodwater before they even know what’s hit them. It’s years and years and years of neglect. They don’t clear the ditches, the don’t fix the potholes, there’s rubber all over the road. It’s such a mess.”

"Some mornings I work at the Runcton Farm Shop, and it should be an eight minute drive,” Mrs Coleman explained. “Last time it took 45 minutes.”

A West Sussex County Council spokesperson said Lower Bognor Road was closed following “an unprecedented rise in the ground-water table levels, with persistent, torrential downpours which have overwhelmed both the natural drainage and our highway drainage system at some locations.”

Officers are working on a solution, but, since the standing water needs to dissipate before the road can be assessed and repair works scheduled, this may take some time.

Andrew Green, the manager of Manor Nursery Garden Centre, made clear the road closure had shed a harsh light on a number of long running issues in the area: “Traffic going towards Hunston is at a crawl most School mornings,” he said. “Potholes are everywhere, causing cars to swerve to avoid them, and the situation will only get worse with the new building sites at Hook Lane and Pagham now underway.”

West Sussex County Councillor Dawn Hall (Con), who represents Pagham, has acknowledged the problems with Pagham Road and urged residents to continue speaking out about them.

"The state of the roads is absolutely disgraceful,” she said. “I always say the more people who complain, the better. Unless issues like potholes are reported, the council doesn’t know about them. They rely on members of the public to tell them.”

To report potholes to the council, visit westsussex.gov.uk.

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