A BEXHILL councillor has secured an apology and explanation from UK Power Networks after a weekend of severe traffic disruption caused by temporary traffic lights on the A259 Barnhorn Road.
Cllr Connor Winter, who represents St Mark’s Ward on both Rother District Council and Bexhill Town Council, formally complained to UK Power Networks (UKPN) and National Highways after receiving numerous complaints from residents, motorists and businesses affected by lengthy delays and standstill traffic throughout Little Common and surrounding areas.
The temporary multi-way traffic lights were installed over the weekend, leading to widespread congestion on one of Bexhill’s busiest routes. Many residents questioned why the restrictions were in place when no visible work appeared to be taking place.
Following Cllr Winter’s intervention, UKPN has now admitted that a delay in removing the traffic management system was caused by an “unforeseen resourcing issue” involving its traffic management contractor.
In a response to the councillor, UKPN explained that electrical disconnection works were carried out on Sunday afternoon and had been deliberately scheduled outside peak weekday periods to minimise disruption. Temporary traffic lights were installed on Sunday morning to allow the work to be completed safely.
However, while the work itself was completed as planned on Sunday, the traffic lights remained in place until Monday morning because the contractor responsible for removing them was unable to do so as scheduled.
UKPN said this was “not in line with our expectations” and confirmed it is now addressing the matter directly with its traffic management supplier to prevent a similar situation from occurring again.
Speaking after receiving the response, Cllr Winter said he was pleased to have secured answers for residents but stressed that the disruption should never have happened.
“Over the weekend, I received a considerable number of messages from residents and business owners who were understandably frustrated by the level of congestion caused by these temporary traffic lights,” he said.
“People experienced lengthy delays, with traffic frequently at a standstill, creating unnecessary disruption across Little Common and neighbouring roads.
“Residents understand that utility works are sometimes essential and that temporary traffic management can be unavoidable. However, what they could not understand was why such restrictive measures appeared to be in place when no visible works were taking place.”
Cllr Winter had requested details on why the traffic management was introduced, what consideration had been given to alternative arrangements, and what measures would be taken to prevent future disruption.
In its response, UKPN confirmed that the temporary traffic management has now been removed and said it is conducting an internal review, with a particular focus on ensuring adequate resourcing and contingency arrangements are in place to guarantee the timely removal of traffic management once works have been completed.
Cllr Winter has also copied Bexhill & Battle MP Dr Kieran Mullan into his correspondence and says he will continue to press both organisations for improvements to how future utility works are coordinated.
He added: “The impact extended well beyond Barnhorn Road, affecting local businesses, commuters, public transport and residents trying to go about their daily lives. I will continue to raise residents’ concerns and ensure lessons are learned from this incident.”
UK Power Networks apologised for the inconvenience caused and said steps were being taken to ensure similar issues do not occur in future.
