Council was warned about potholes on road where driver died
Council officials were warned about potholes on a stretch of road almost two months before a Porsche driver died reportedly swerving to avoid one.
The 74-year-old from Reigate, Surrey was pronounced dead at the scene near Petworth, West Sussex after his 911 GT2 was in collision with a BMW last Monday.
The crash involved four cars and damaged a house. The 65-year-old driver of the BMW was taken to St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester.
Police have appealed for information but officers are investigating whether the Porsche swerved to avoid a pothole and hit the BMW, two other cars and the porch of a house.
A source close to the investigation said: “It’s possible one of the cars swerved to avoid the pothole. It’s something we are looking at.”
On March 14 two reports were made to West Sussex council warning of dangerous potholes on the same stretch of the A272 Horsham Road between Petworth and Fox Hill.
It is around two miles between the villages, but the reports appear to have referred to the crash location.
West Sussex council was warned by a member of the public of a 500mm wide pothole on the westbound carriageway and a 400mm and 70mm deep on the eastbound.
In a report sent to the council the driver wrote: “Both cause vehicles to veer into the opposite carriageway. They have been there for longer than 30 days and are continuing to deteriorate.”
The same day the council received another report from a different driver complaining of a “very, very dangerous surface” and stating that both sides were “completely unacceptable”.
The motorist said that “both east and westbound the carriageway is destroyed and liable to cause a serious accident”.
The driver added: “In 14 months I’ve had to buy four new wheels, 12 tyres and two new front wheel bearings all due to the negligence of the public highway. I want answers.”
The report was made with the FixMyStreet service endorsed by motoring groups and sent to the council.
The RAC, which has partnered with the app so drivers can report potholes, found in a survey last year that the state of roads has led to most drivers having to take sudden evasive action.
A third of drivers reported they had been forced to swerve quickly to avoid a pothole and ended up completely crossing into another lane or the other side of the road.
Seven in 10 said they had been forced to slow sharply to drive over a pothole and 37 per cent have tried to maintain a greater distance from the car in front to give themselves more time to react.
The speed limit is 60mph on the stretch of the A272 in question and following the crash, people living near the scene said the road was notorious for speeding.
“Everybody speeds down this hill. After winding through all the lanes, it’s frustrating,” said a local who asked not to be named. “Once they see the long straight, they think this is my chance to overtake.”
Porsche owners’ club track day
The crash happened on the same day as a Porsche owners’ club track day at the nearby Goodwood Motor Circuit. The Porsche Club of Great Britain said it had not been informed the crash involved one of its members.
The sports car was a left-hand drive worth between £175 and £235,000 and reportedly had a personalised number plate.
West Sussex council said: “We are aware of a four-vehicle collision on the A272 Horsham Road in Petworth on Monday (April 29) in which a man has sadly died and another driver suffered injuries.
“First and foremost, our thoughts are with the families and friends of those involved. The police are carrying out a collision investigation and we await their findings. It would not be appropriate to comment any further at this time.”
