Anger over sinkhole not repaired in two months

The owner of a High Street business has claimed his trade has dropped due to a sinkhole causing customers to shop elsewhere.

Matt Betts, owner of MB Shoe Repairs, on Church Street in Storrington, said trade has dropped by almost half due to the sinkhole which appeared two months ago.

The sinkhole started as a small tennis ball-sized hole in October, but now covers half of the street.

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) said an unmarked private drainage pipe has "complicated the situation".

Excavation work has been done to the sinkhole by the county council but works are still not finished.

Mr Betts said: "The biggest issue is that no one is coming up this street anymore. They drive up the high street and see the road closed sign and decide to go somewhere else."

"My trade has dramatically dropped. It's normally a high turnover of cars parking here but at the moment you'll be lucky to see one customer an hour."

Customers had previously made use of the 20 minutes free parking outside his shop, Mr Betts said.

Staff at Number 13 Thai restaurant also told the BBC said trade was down compared to last December.

Local councillor Claudia Fisher said: "It's a thriving area. People like to come here. Now it's not easily accessible for people, which has really impacted some businesses' turnover."

A WSCC spokesperson said: "This pipe does not currently connect to an existing sewer, which has complicated the situation.

"To determine the cause, the sinkhole had to be excavated, which has further increased its size.

"We understand how disruptive this has been for residents and local businesses, particularly in the run-up to Christmas, and we are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible."

The road remains closed for safety reasons, the spokesperson said, but access to traders is possible from either end of the street.

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