Concerned drivers call for action over '˜dangerous' potholes on A27

Despite being resurfaced in 2015, residents claim the A27 is rapidly degrading – posing a ‘worrying’ risk to motorists who use it.

Kathleen O’Neill regularly travels on the A27 between Langstone and Chichester.

The teacher from Hayling Island said: ‘The potholes on that stretch of road are extremely dangerous and I honestly worry about the toll they must be having on drivers’ tyres.

‘The road has suffered from this problem for at least five to 10 years and at the moment it is only getting worse.

‘The holes are getting bigger, merging and pooling in the rain and something really needs to be done.’

In 2015, £500,000 was spent on repairing the A27 following pressure from a joint campaign spearheaded by The News and the Chichester Observer.

But like Ms O’Neill, fellow Hayling resident John Fiddler – who travels to Brighton on the road – says little has changed.

The 54-year-old said: ‘That road is absolutely horrible.

‘When I use it, I see people deliberately changing lanes to avoid the potholes – it’s plain dangerous.

‘It should not take a major accident one day for something to be done about it.’

Addressing concerns, Highways England said calling the A27’s imperfections potholes was ‘not accurate’.

Route manager Peter Phillips added: ‘We inspect its road surface weekly and repair any defects that pose a safety risk within 24 hours.

‘Although the worn-out sections of asphalt may be unsightly, the dips are very shallow and it is not accurate to describe them as potholes.

‘We have plans to resurface the A27 before 2021 and we’re actively looking at whether we can bring this forward.’