East Sussex road shut for two months after major water pipe burst

Beresford Lane in Plumpton Green has been closed since March 23. This was due to two separate bursts on a water pipeline which supplies thousands of households in the area.

Locals have become enraged as there has been little evidence of repair work being undertaken on the site, leading Lib Dem district councillor Daniel Stewart-Roberts and county councillor Sarah Osborne to write to South East Water demanding action.

Councillor Roberts said: "It is shocking that there has been no clear explanation for the length of this road closure. So I am calling on South East water to finish the repair urgently.”

Osborne added: “Residents are understandably fed up with the endless delays to this re-opening. There is little evidence of work being undertaken on site and I have also asked the County Council to put pressure on South East Water to open without delay.”

HAVE YOU READ THIS?

East Sussex town a ‘sad sight’ with a third of its shops now empty buildings

Results of the 18th annual Seahaven Business Awards

Fewer treasure discoveries in East Sussex last year

South East Water confirmed the broken pipe was buried deep beneath the road. The company claimed it had taken longer to fix then anticipated due to the depth of the water main and the complexity of the repair.

The water firm said the pipe had now being secured and it aimed to re-open the road on May 24 at the latest.

Charles Healey, regional network manager for South East Water, said: “The safety of our staff and motorists is our top priority and to fix it required us to dig a large, deep excavation which meant we could not keep the road open at the same time repairs took place.

“I would like to thank the local community for their patience while we worked to repair this main and I’m sorry for any disruption caused.”