‘Worst pothole in Midhurst’ leaves couple with £600 repair costs

A couple have been left with more than £600 worth of repair costs after their car hit the ‘worst pothole in Midhurst’.
A couple have been left with more than £600 worth of repair costs after their car hit the ‘worst pothole in Midhurst’. SUS-200122-130728001A couple have been left with more than £600 worth of repair costs after their car hit the ‘worst pothole in Midhurst’. SUS-200122-130728001
A couple have been left with more than £600 worth of repair costs after their car hit the ‘worst pothole in Midhurst’. SUS-200122-130728001

Wendy and Chris Steibelt, from Stedham, were driving along Woolbeding Lane, just before the A272 junction, on Friday evening when their car became ‘another casualty’ of a pothole on the road.

Wendy said: “It’s at least a metre across the narrow, country road, which serves a number of villages.

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“It’s a huge hole, at least four inches deep, but it’s not obvious when it’s dark.

ks20029-1 Midhurst Pothole  phot kate
Chris and Wendy Steibelt.ks20029-1 SUS-200121-211148008ks20029-1 Midhurst Pothole  phot kate
Chris and Wendy Steibelt.ks20029-1 SUS-200121-211148008
ks20029-1 Midhurst Pothole phot kate Chris and Wendy Steibelt.ks20029-1 SUS-200121-211148008

“It’s definitely the worst one in Midhurst.

“We were luckily near a lay-by so we left it there overnight. We went back first thing in the morning.

“We’re now £660 worse off after having to replace the wheel and tyre.

“I’m pretty fed up with the whole thing.”

A couple have been left with more than ?600 worth of repair costs after their car hit the worst pothole in Midhurst. SUS-200122-130749001A couple have been left with more than ?600 worth of repair costs after their car hit the worst pothole in Midhurst. SUS-200122-130749001
A couple have been left with more than ?600 worth of repair costs after their car hit the worst pothole in Midhurst. SUS-200122-130749001

Wendy said the pothole, which has now been filled in, was reported days before their car struck it.

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She added: “We’d like to know how long West Sussex County Council have known about this hole and not done anything about it.

“Various people have reported it to the council, including one five days before us, but nothing was done.

“If it was a cyclist, it could be very dangerous and cause a nasty crash. You would be flung from your bike.“

The county council highways team reminded residents it is working hard to not only repair potholes but to prevent themThe county council highways team reminded residents it is working hard to not only repair potholes but to prevent them
The county council highways team reminded residents it is working hard to not only repair potholes but to prevent them

An anonymous road user reported a similar incident on Fix My Street last Thursday morning.

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They said: “I hit this hole at 7.15pm doing 30mph. It was full of water and unmarked.

“It blew my tyre on impact and buckled the rim. It would cause serious injuries to motorcyclist or road bike users.”

The motorist said the hole was two feet wide with a ‘sharp drop’ seven to eight inches ‘towards the flow of traffic’.

A county council spokesperson said: “Following a report by a member of the public, our area highways steward inspected the site on January 9 and a repair was scheduled.

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“However, responding to a resident’s concern that the pothole had deteriorated, the steward returned on January 17 and the repair was brought forward – it was carried out on Monday.”

This follows National Pothole Day last week, during which our county council highways team reminded residents it is working hard to not only repair potholes but to prevent them. Read more here

West Sussex Highways repaired 18,514 – that’s an average of about 350 every week – in 2019 to 2020.

A spokesman said: “Fixing significantly-sized potholes is done within 28 days, or sooner if the problem is severe.”

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People can help by reporting concerns about potholes at www.westsussex.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/report-a-problem-with-a-road-or-pavement/

Readers tell us about more potholes

Midhurst and Petworth residents have been having their say on social media about the worst potholes in the area.

A number of Observer readers have commented on our Facebook page, sharing the locations where they have seen potholes in the area.

Among the hotspots were;

North Street, Midhurst, near to entrance to Midhurst Rother College. One reader said it was a ‘danger to cyclists and motor cyclists’.

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A ‘quite amazing, zig zagging’ pothole was reported in West Street, whilst another driver spotted one in Bepton Road by The Fairway.

According to another reader, there was a ‘massive one ‘on the road from Ashington B2133 to Billingshurst.

They warned fellow motorists that it was ‘very deep’.

One reader said he saw the biggest pothole he’s ever seen in Easebourne Street, which caused significant damage to his car.

Another large pothole was spotted in Taylor’s Field, Midhurst.

Do you know about a pothole in Midhurst and Petworth not mentioned here?

Let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or by emailing [email protected].