When a sinkhole opened in Mermaid Street some four weeks ago, it was promptly reported to the highways authority on their emergency number. Just a few yards from Jeake’s House, it had appeared in the road, a hole four feet long and about two feet deep. Two barriers appeared at some point but then nothing further was done, and a call to the town hall to expedite matters has so far achieved no result.
Richard Martin of Jeake’s House is surprised that the East Sussex County Council Highways department has not been in touch, but thinks this could be because reinstatement may be the responsibility of the water board, as another resident has suggested.
Richard Martin continues: “the barriers have blown down in the recent storm and every passing lorry causes more damage. The dust cart actually had its wheels in it last Monday. Obviously this is a very dangerous hazard in an already steeply cobbled street with many cracked and broken paving slabs. We have had to call an ambulance regularly for visitors who have tripped. It is an accident waiting to happen, but by then it will be too late.”
Image Credits: Richard Martin .
More than a week later and this hazard still exists !!!
It isn’t two feet deep, in places it looks more like six feet deep.
The hole is part of the collapsed drain in the actual street of Mermaid Street, not the pavement.
I was told by the Town Council that this issue is deemed as a matter to be looked at by the Water Board / Authority – well they haven’t done anything as far as I can see and the plastic barrier that is laid on top of the hole and now a cone on top of that are far from adequate protection.
An accident waiting to happen.
Hopefully RTC, RDC, ESCC and the Water Board can communicate effectively and resolve this potentially very dangerous accident becoming reality.
Does anybody have a telephone number to the correct department of the correct organisation to resolve this issue. I am happy to call them and not neglect the issue.
I have written to Mr Glazier some weeks back, explaining just how bad our pavements are, especially Mermaid street. I have seen many people struggle over the dangerous bits. I know of several people who fell there and other places in Rye, a couple ending up in hospital. Nothing so far, as I can see, has been done.
At the recent Rye Partnership meeting I took the opportunity to ask Mr Glazier again to send someone from East Sussex to look at least at Mermaid street pavement. He promised to do so. We will see.