They're back '“ anger as potholes re-appear on A27

But the dreaded potholes were thought to be a thing of the past after Highways England spent £500,000 last September to surface over them.

Now it appears they are back.

A large hole has appeared on the westbound carriageway near Chichester and two smaller holes have opened up near the Emsworth junction.

Last year The News and Chichester Observer led a high-profile campaign, called Time to Fill, calling for urgent repairs on the stretch between Havant and Chichester.

After several months of complaints from drivers, Highways England repaired the road ahead of schedule last autumn.

Drivers today spoke of their dismay after seeing holes reappear.

A driver who uses the route every day, who did not want to be named, said: ‘Where they have repaired it, there’s holes appearing.

‘It’s only lasted a few months.

‘It’s like driving over corrugated cardboard.

‘We have still got months of potentially bad weather to come.

‘That just makes the holes bigger, coupled with the huge number of vehicles that are rumbling over it every day.’

He added: ‘They have spent taxpayers’ money, only for it to start again within months because they haven’t done the job properly.’

Another driver who commutes from Chichester to Portsmouth said: ‘A cynic might say the job was done on the cheap to deflect criticism.

‘All the bad weather over the last couple of months means some of the holes are opening up again.’

The campaign was launched after a motorist lost control of his vehicle when he hit a pothole on the A27.

A spokesman for Highways England said a total resurface had not been carried out, only the filling-in of pot holes.

And he said the contractor is adamant that these are new potholes and not ones that were filled in.

He added: ‘We will have a look at them (potholes) and continue to monitor the road’.

If they are considered dangerous they will be repaired immediately.

If not they will be monitored over time.