31/03/2026
February Performance + Rainfall
The opening months of 2026 placed unprecedented pressure on the highway network, with approximately 19,915 customer enquiries - the highest on record. This surge was driven by severe winter conditions including persistent rainfall. The long term average rainfall for February in West Sussex was 84.2mm.
How Rainfall Damages Roads
• Water infiltration: Rainwater enters small cracks and weakens the layers beneath the surface, reducing structural strength and causing faster breakdown under traffic.
• Freeze–thaw action: Water trapped in defects freezes, expands and widens cracks. As it thaws, voids form and potholes develop rapidly.
• Overwhelmed drainage: After prolonged rainfall, gullies and ditches remain full, reducing drainage capacity. Standing water softens asphalt and accelerates surface wear.
Throughout this challenging period, teams continued to prioritise safety defects in line with the Highways Inspection Manual, ensuring the most serious hazards were addressed promptly to protect road users.
Prolonged rainfall also led to significant flooding requiring road closures to protect safety of residents. We were notified of unauthorised removal of road closure signs and traffic management, requiring highway officers to spend significant time reinstating essential safety measures. In some cases, our workforce also experienced verbal abuse while carrying out their duties, adding unnecessary pressure during already demanding conditions.
Despite these challenges, our teams have worked tirelessly to keep the network operational, prioritising safety. We want to acknowledge and thank them for their professionalism, resilience and commitment during an exceptionally difficult period.
We also extend our thanks to residents for continuing to report potholes and defects. Public reporting plays an important role in helping us identify issues quickly and respond where it is needed most.
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West Sussex County Council continues to invest in improving highways
The county council will invest £60.7 million maintaining and improving highways in West Sussex over the coming year following the budget for 2026 to 2027 being agreed at the meeting of Full Council in February.
Read more
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Bird Nesting
March to September marks the main bird nesting season and it is important that we are careful not to disturb birds during this time. This impacts the work we can undertake when maintaining hedgerows – it is an offence to disturb birds and nests during the nesting season. However, if a hedge is causing severe risk, then we will take action adhering to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
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Seasonal Watercourse Advice
Are you a landowner who has a riparian responsibility for the maintenance of ordinary watercourses associated with your land? If yes, then these are the actions you should take during the spring season (March-May).
• Inspect your watercourse, checking that it is free flowing.
• So long as it is safe to do so, and water levels are sufficiently low, rake out and remove any debris and litter that may have accumulated.
• Advise your neighbours if you can see any issues within their section of watercourse that they may need to address.
To learn more about riparian responsibility please visit Ditch The Problem
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Trees Planted in 2025
In the 2025 planting season, 280 new trees were planted through funding from WSCC, Parish Councils, and residents. As WSCC has limited resources for future planting, anyone wishing to support additional trees can visit the West Sussex County Council website and search for “Donate a Tree.” Residents living near newly planted trees are also encouraged to help by watering them during dry periods, no amount of water is too much.
Left Picture: Malus Evereste. This is a conical tree of medium height is red before turning white-and the blossom is borne in profusion. The autumn foliage is golden yellow, while the orange-yellow fruit holds well even into the new year. Good for streets. Right Picture: Please water me label
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Grass Cutting
How often does the grass get cut?
Cut times vary each year to suit growing conditions. It takes about 4-7 weeks to cut all grass across the county.
Urban cuts
In towns and other built-up areas, we cut and maintain grass verges during the growing season, which is typically between March and November.
Rural cuts
In the countryside, or where there are no pavements, we only maintain the verges from a highway safety perspective.
Verges in rural areas receive cuts in the following order:
• one visibility splay cut for safety - five weeks during April and May
• one, one-meter-wide cut to stop grass and vegetation overhanging the road - from July to September
• one overall cut a year - from end September to beginning of December.
Keep up to date with the grass cutting schedules or follow our social media pages which we update daily.
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Road Safety Improvements – Bewbush Manor Roundabout
Road safety improvements work is taking place from the 16-20 March on the A264 at the Bewbush Manor roundabout (westbound) in Crawley.
These improvements will address the causation factors of several collisions, which occurred on the westbound approach to the roundabout, due to harsh braking and rear end shunts. These collisions mostly resulted from late lane changes, mainly during the rush-hour period.
Between January 1st 2021 and December 31st 2023, four collisions were recorded, resulting in five injuries, one of which was serious. This scheme aims to provide the additional measures to help reduce the occurrence of future collisions.
The improvements work will include: -
• Additional signage to provide clearer lane guidance for those turning left (A264 Northbound) at the roundabout and encourage road users to select an appropriate lane at the earliest opportunity, prior to the bend.
• Signage to give advanced warning and raise driver awareness of the bend in the road on the approach to the roundabout.
• Vegetation clearance.
It is advisable to select the correct lane on the approach to a roundabout as early as possible and avoid late lane changes. Always remember to keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front, even more so in inclement weather, to avoid unnecessary collisions.
For further information about this scheme, please refer to the FAQ document, via the following link: - https://one.network/?GB147768166
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Carbon Literacy
Highways, Transport and Planning staff at WSCC have been undertaking Carbon Literacy training to better understand how climate change is affecting West Sussex and out services – and what we can do about it.
Through the Carbon Literacy course hundreds of actions have been pledged, for example: to use public transport more; switch to low carbon fuels like HVO; to drive more efficiently; reduce unnecessary data storage; share cars; and to include climate change in decision making.
Now our department has been awarded Silver Carbon Literacy accreditation with nearly 45% of staff trained, we aim to encourage all colleagues to become ‘certified Carbon Literate’ as an important part of preparing for future impacts and enhancing our services.
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Environment & Climate Change e-newsletter
Would you like to hear about how the county council is working to protect the environment and how you can be more sustainable in your day-to-day life? Sign up to our Environment & Climate Change e-newsletter and receive all our latest news and developments straight to your inbox. Sign up here. Read February ‘26 edition.
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Highway Improvement Works
We are undertaking surface treatments across the county, with the following projects starting in the coming weeks.
You can read more about what happens during each of the road and footway surface treatments here - Maintaining roads, verges and pavements - West Sussex County Council
Further information on each of the works can also be found via one.network
Halogen Bulb Replacement Projects
The council have two Halogen Blub Replacement projects starting in March.
We will be upgrading the halogen bulbs in the pedestrian crossings to LED’s. While we are on site, we will also put in new update signal heads, push-button units, vehicle and pedestrian detectors, advanced controller systems, traffic signal poles and cabling to support the latest LED technology.
These essential upgrades will result in a safer, more efficient, and sustainable transport network
The roads will remain open, but there will be temporary lights in operation, so please allow extra time for your journey during this time.
Pagham Road, near School Lane (Lagness Road) - 30 March until 21 April
You can view more information on One.Network - https://one.network/?GB143520011
Felpham Way nr Rife Way - 16 March until 10 April
You can view more information on One.Network - https://one.network/?GB148264010
Littlehampton Ferry Footbridge Control Tower Upgrade
Full article - New control tower completes major upgrade at Littlehampton Ferry Footbridge - West Sussex County Council
West Sussex County Council has completed major refurbishment works to the Littlehampton Ferry Footbridge control tower, with the new tower and cabin now fully operational.
The project involved removing the previous structure, installing new foundations and introducing a modernised tower and cabin designed to meet current building regulation standards. All electrical connections and software commissioning have now been successfully completed, enabling the upgraded system to fully support bridge operations.
The council has worked closely with the Littlehampton Harbour Board throughout planning and construction to ensure the works progressed smoothly and without affecting harbour activity.
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Utility Projects Update
This section provides updates on projects being carried out by utility companies across the West Sussex Highways Network.
Gas Works
Yapton
Southern Gas Network (SGN) has now progressed to phase two, focusing on the replacement of lower-pressure gas pipes.
From Monday 16 March for duration of three weeks – Road closure from Rybank Ryfe to the Caravan site for a major connection across the road.
Week commencing Wednesday 11 March for approximately 5 weeks, work on Yapton Road, Middleton from the Silver Birch Drive Roundabout will start under two-way traffic lights rather than closing the road as originally planned. More updates will be provided as works progresses.
Worthing
Planned works for the gas main replacement on Victoria Road and A2031 Teville Road in Worthing are now progressing to phase two:
• Victoria Road is now open
• Teville Road Closed at the junction of Oxford Road for emergency works
• All access in and out of Station approach and Oxford Road is via Victoria Road
• Victoria Road and Station Approach have been made two-way
Businesses on Teville Road are open as usual and pedestrian access is always maintained.
Chichester
A286 Stockbridge Road, Chichester. Currently the gas main repair works are taking place on the Selsey Road/Stockbridge Road roundabout under multi way traffic lights from 6:30am to 6:30pm. These works will continue until end of March 2026. Traffic flows will be managed to prioritise northbound travel in the morning and southbound travel in the evening.
We understand that ongoing roadworks can be disruptive, and we truly appreciate your patience and understanding. These upgrades are necessary to ensure the long-term safety and reliability of gas supply.
If you need further information about these works, you can contact SGN Customer Service Team by email [email protected] or alternatively you can call them on 0800 912 1700. For travel and route diversion, please follow Causeway one.network.
Water infrastructure upgrades
Bepton, Midhurst
Road closure - extent from junction of Ingram’s Green Lane to A286. Southern Water will carry out excavation works for upgrades and maintenance to the existing water infrastructure. The works will take place in phases under a road closure from 2 March to 24 June 2026 betwee8 am to 8 pm on weekdays and 9 am to 4 pm on weekends.
If you have any concern, please contact Southern Water at - Report A Problem or alternatively call 0330 303 0223
Electrical Upgrades
A286 Cocking, Midhurst
Electrical upgrades work from electricity distribution site at Pitsham Lane to Singleton Oil Well to start from 13 April for approximately 5 weeks under temporary lights. Further details at https://one.network/?GB148779050
If you have any concerns, please contact Alconex @ [email protected] or alternatively call 0113 286 7314
A280 Long Furlong, Clapham, Worthing
CityFibre is installing full fibre infrastructure between Arundel Road and junction with Long Furlong Lane. These works will take place between 13 April to 22 April under road closure for approximately 10 days. Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times. Further details @ https://one.network/?GB147928798
These works are part of Project Gigabit which is the UK government’s programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband. For any concern, please contact Enquiries | CityFibre
Market Place & Mill Green Road, Haywards Heath
UKPN, together with their contractors, will be installing new underground electricity cables in the carriageway under a directional closure. The works will run from the west side of the railway bridge on Market Place to outside the Royal Mail Haywards Heath Delivery Office on Mill Green Road.
To make best use of the road space and reduce future disruption, WSCC will also be replacing the pedestrian crossing at the east end of the railway bridge on Market Place during this period. Please see the work programme below:
If you have any questions, please contact our customer care team on 0800 028 4587 Monday to Friday 8:30am – 5pm, [email protected] and reference 260010910.
Developer’s Work
Highway Improvement works for access to new Rolls Royce’s extension in Chichester
Highway improvements work at various locations along Stane Street (Roman Road), Chichester are being delivered to support the planned extension of the existing Rolls Royce manufacturing facility.
The works begun on 5 Feb 2026 and will take approximately 12 weeks to complete under road closure and temporary lights at various locations. All works will be removed around Goodwood events. Please see for further details. Diversion routes are signed on site. FAQs can be found here.
Please note: These are Developer works. For further information, please contact Walker Construction at [email protected] or alternatively you can call them on 01303 851111
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Keep up to date 📱💻
Facebook, X, Bluesky & WhatsApp
Updates on emergency reports are posted every day and project updates are posted frequently on the West Sussex Highways Facebook Sussex Highways, X , and Bluesky .bsky.social accounts.
Did you know you can get gritter alerts, grass cutting updates and up to date information on road issues on WhatsApp? You can follow silently or opt for alerts to notify you when we share an update. To find us open WhatsApp and select "Updates" from the bottom menu, then simply search for WSHighways or click the link - WSHighways.
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