Chichester pothole leaves motorist with £500 tyre damage

A Tangmere resident has urged more motorists to report road deficiencies after a pothole caused £500 worth of damage to his car.
Phillip Winter in Hunters Race, West Lavant. Where a long stretch of the road was repaired but a deep pothole about three feet long in the middle of the repaired area wasn't treated and caused damage to his car. The area has now been filled in. Pic Steve Robards SR20021201Phillip Winter in Hunters Race, West Lavant. Where a long stretch of the road was repaired but a deep pothole about three feet long in the middle of the repaired area wasn't treated and caused damage to his car. The area has now been filled in. Pic Steve Robards SR20021201
Phillip Winter in Hunters Race, West Lavant. Where a long stretch of the road was repaired but a deep pothole about three feet long in the middle of the repaired area wasn't treated and caused damage to his car. The area has now been filled in. Pic Steve Robards SR20021201

Phillip Winter was driving through Hunters Race on Tuesday, January 21, when his car hit a pothole on the junction with West Stoke Road, leaving his tyres ‘buckled’.

He said: “It was one of the biggest potholes I’ve ever seen. It caused £500 worth of damage. 

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“I was aware it was a bad area and purposely avoided it for a few days expecting it to have been repaired.

Phillip Winter in Hunters Race, West Lavant. Where a long stretch of the road was repaired but a deep pothole about three feet long in the middle of the repaired area wasn't treated and caused damage to his car. The area has now been filled in. Pic Steve Robards SR20021201Phillip Winter in Hunters Race, West Lavant. Where a long stretch of the road was repaired but a deep pothole about three feet long in the middle of the repaired area wasn't treated and caused damage to his car. The area has now been filled in. Pic Steve Robards SR20021201
Phillip Winter in Hunters Race, West Lavant. Where a long stretch of the road was repaired but a deep pothole about three feet long in the middle of the repaired area wasn't treated and caused damage to his car. The area has now been filled in. Pic Steve Robards SR20021201

“It could have been a lot worse for a cyclist. I saw a big group of around 20 cyclists not long ago and it could have been disastrous if they hit it. 

“I want more people to report potholes so they get fixed. We’re paying for the roads so they’ve got to keep them up to standard.”

West Sussex County Council said it was ‘concerned to hear of any accident’.

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A spokesman said: “We take the maintenance and repair of roads in West Sussex very seriously and have a duty to take reasonable steps to maintain our highway network. We inspect our roads and pavements on a programmed basis in line with national guidance and carry out repairs according to a published set of criteria.

Pothole watch SUS-200121-135747001Pothole watch SUS-200121-135747001
Pothole watch SUS-200121-135747001

“We identified an area of approximately 40sq.m of carriageway that would benefit from a patching repair near the West Stoke Road/Hunters Race junction and this was completed on January 21. 

“On a routine safety inspection at the junction on January 29, we identified two potholes that required repairing within 28 days, in line with our Safety Plus Policy. We are confident this will be completed within that timescale.”

This is how you can report pothole

As part of the Observer Pothole Watch campaign this newspaper is urging its readers to make their voices heard and to inform the council about damaged and potholed roads.

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People can report a pothole or other damage on the road to West Sussex County Council via the Love West Sussex app.

Alternatively potholes can be reported to the highways team on the county council’s website at www.westsussex.gov.uk.

But the Observer is also calling on readers to join our campaign for better roads.

We want to hear from you about the problem areas and potholes which are impacting you that you want to see improved.

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Have you been affected by damaged roads in the Chichester, Bognor or Midhurst and Petworth areas?

Share your pothole views, experiences, and pictures with the Observer by emailing them to our newsdesk at [email protected].