Woman rescued after car goes into South Downs stream following road closure

Charlotte Turner was on her way to visit a sick friend in Pulborough when her car went into the water at Stream Lane, West Chiltington. A local farmer helped to recover her and her car.

Drivers have been using the lane since West Chiltington Road at its junction with Panners Drive was shut following flood damage in December.

Brian White, chairman of Nutbourne Residents’ Association said: “This is at least the fourth incident that I am aware of and we have had at least three vehicle accidents involving damage to both vehicles over the last few weeks.”

The incident comes amid mounting anger among residents over the closure of West Chiltington Road. “Stream Lane is being destroyed,” said Brian. “In many places the verge has disappeared and the road edge has been broken up and potholes abound.

"This just cannot continue, a temporary fix to reopen West Chiltington Road must be found and implemented.”

Residents are demanding urgent action from West Sussex County Council to reopen the road. Dozens took part in a public protest on Saturday.

But the county council says work is being hampered by the weather. A spokesperson said: “The weather over the last few weeks has prevented any progress to repair works. The water present, not only the volume but the rate of flow, means it is not safe or practical to work.

"We understand how frustrating this situation is and we are checking the site most days, to see if water levels have subsided and to ensure the site is safe. This will continue until works can recommence.

"We will undertake pumping works when the water volume is at manageable levels but the sheer volume at this stage means it is not practical, which we appreciate is disappointing. We reviewed other options from the local community, such as temporary bridges or road plates. Both options come with risks and challenges and on balance we believe at this stage are not appropriate for this site.

“We have sought advice from multiple contractors and drainage specialists that we have brought in to review the works to date, the site constraints, and the volume of water in question.

"We obtained multiple different opinions, to ensure there was not something that we had not considered. All contractors agreed that our proposals and the actions to date were appropriate given the current constraints and we are disappointed that there is not more we can do at this time.

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"Other options have been considered to restrict water flow upstream from the site, and on private land, but this could cause private landowner issues and risk of flooding elsewhere, and this is something we want to avoid.

“We continue to undertake weekly inspections of the local roads that are being used as alternatives due to the West Chiltington Road closure, raising any safety related defects for repair by our contractor.”