Council update after flooding on Upper North Street in Brighton

Residents have shared their fury after Upper North Street was closed as a “river” started flowing down the street.

It comes just two months after buses began using the road as a detour route for improvements to Western Road.

As a result of the rerouting, the 7.5 tonne weight limit was removed to accommodate the increase in heavy bus traffic.

Potholes on Upper North Street (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

Photos showed potholes forming on the road weeks after the detour was implemented.

however, Brighton and Hove The city council rejects claims that they are linked.

A spokesman said: “Unfortunately, Southern Water has discovered a serious leak in Upper North Street and has had to excavate it. This will involve the road being closed.

“The leak has nothing to do with the current use of the road as a diversion from the Western Road.”

A video was released yesterday from The Argus showing water rising from the road surface “like a geyser”.

A resident of Upper North Street, who did not want to be named, said: “The road looked like it was going down a bit.

“Then I noticed that water was collecting at the bottom of the road.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in the entire time I’ve lived here, and this is the third time we’ve had a leak in four weeks.”

The flood went down to Western Road (Image: Contributor)

The westbound road is closed to eastbound traffic for maintenance work.

Almost all buses run Brighton and Hove will travel along Western Road at some point, stopping at Churchill Square main bus stop.

This means that around 690 buses travel along Upper North Street every day.

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A council spokesman added: “We appreciate residents’ concerns about traffic being diverted past their properties during the Western Road closure.

“But unfortunately there is no viable alternative option to keep the city’s bus network running.”

It comes after angry residents took the bus company to task, launching a legal campaign after they said the council had unlawfully lifted the 7.5 tonne weight limit on the road.

The weight limit sign is visible on the street shots (Image: Google)

On Monday 6th March, Brighton and Hove City Council issued an updated traffic regulation order.

A council spokesman added: “To prevent further heavy traffic on Montpellier Terrace and Upper North Street, we have withdrawn the previous Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) and put in place a new one.

“It stops heavy vehicles (lorries) from using the route except for passing. Bus traffic will still be allowed.

“We believe the number of HGVs using the street that did not yet have a road permit was low. However, this change addresses the concerns expressed.”

The Argus understands that engineers are now resurfacing Upper North Street after excavating the road to fix the problem.

It will open today at 3:00 p.m.

The road was dug up by the aqueduct (Image: Contributor)

A spokesman for Southern Water said: “We are very sorry for the disruption to the emergency leak repair in Upper North Street, Brighton, which has caused residents and commuters.

“The leak has damaged the pavement and we have closed the road while repairs are carried out.

“During this time, customers in Upper North Street, Marlborough Street and Dean Street experienced temporary supply disruptions.

“We would like to thank customers for their patience.”