West Sussex rain brings 'pothole havoc'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-20936014

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More than 600 potholes have been reported in West Sussex after recent torrential rain, the county council has said.

Councillor Pieter Montyn said the authority was dealing with "havoc caused by some of the worst wet weather for over a century".

Extra crews were being deployed to carry out repairs, he said.

He said numbers of potholes meant they could not be fixed when reported and urged people to be patient.

Mr Montyn said: "We are dealing with the havoc caused by some of the worst wet weather for over a century.

"While we cannot get on top of this situation overnight, we ask drivers to please be patient and bear with us while we fix these problems.

"In the meantime, the onus is on road users to drive responsibly and take greater care when out on the roads."

The council said surface water made existing potholes worse because the water washed away loose particles of road surface whenever vehicles passed over them.

It said surface water also accelerated the rate at which new potholes appeared.

The local authority said it was assessing roads to prioritise repairs according to safety risk.

Drivers have been warned to drive slowly and carefully whenever they travel, particularly through surface water.