Call made for 24-hour roadworks

Norman Baker is a Liberal Democrat MP for the Lewes constituency

A call has been made for roadworks to be carried out around the clock on a main route in East Sussex so they can be finished more quickly.

Lewes MP Norman Baker has demanded the county council implement 24-hour working on the A27.

The works are causing severe delays and Mr Baker said it was "unacceptable" for work not to be continued overnight.

The council said its contractors claim they have no way of disposing of extracted materials after 2200 BST.

'Minimise disruption'

The roadworks are due to last until September.

Mr Baker said: "It is quite simply unacceptable that roadworks on a key arterial route such as the A27 do not continue overnight in order to reduce the number of weeks when the road is affected.

"I have spoke to the highways authority about this matter and I do not, quite frankly, consider the issues of disposing of extracted materials to be a valid reasons for not working overnight.

"This issue should have been considered weeks ago and a solution found before the works began."

East Sussex County Council said: "The council is working hard to minimise disruption to motorists at a particularly difficult time while essential road works take place in and around Lewes.

"By the end of September most of these disruptions will be over."