Brighton seafront road to stay closed eastbound for weeks rather than days, say police

The A259 King’s Road in Brighton is likely to stay closed on the eastbound side for weeks rather than days, according to Sussex Police.

The road was closed from A259 the corner of West Street at about 8am yesterday (Friday 25 April) after a hole appeared in the road.

The subsidence resulted from the collapse of a roof of the Fortune of War pub in the King’s Road arches.

Sussex Police said: “The collapse has led to a weakness in the eastbound carriageway. Workmen discovered the fault and the road was closed while structural engineers assessed the situation.

“Structural engineers have now assessed the road and the eastbound carriageway will remain closed for the next few weeks.

“The route for the March for England planned for this Sunday (27 April) in Brighton will have to be slightly amended after a part of the route has become unsafe.

“The march was due to start at the junction of West Street and the A259, where the fault the road has been found. The march will now start at the A259 junction with Middle Street.

“There have been no changes to any of the conditions placed on those wishing to assemble to protest against the march. However, there have been slight variations made to the notices issued for assembly of the march and the conditions on it.”

The march itself will follow the same route with the slightly amended start and end point.

A notice issued under section 14 of the Public Order Act for those wishing to protest against the march remains unchanged.

It states: “Those wishing to assemble in order to protest against the March for England shall only do so at the promenade to the south of the A259, King’s Road, between the pedestrian crossing at the eastern side of the junction of the A259, King’s Road, and Black Lion Street to the pedestrian crossing at the western side of the junction of the A259, King’s Road, and East Street.

Superintendent Steve Whitton said: “We have been working with the council and their engineers to assess the structure of the road and have decided to move the start of the march further eastwards on the A259.

“The march will now start at the A259 junction with Middle Street. They will then march east to the junction of Pool Valley and back again. It will still start no earlier than 12.30pm and finish no later than 1.30pm.

“Our focus is, as always, keeping people safe and we have worked with the council to make sure people taking part in both the march and the counter protest as well as visitors to the city are kept safe.

“For this reason the eastbound carriageway will be completely closed at West Street.

“It is really important people understand that the carriageway is closed for safety reasons and they should not enter the area which is cordoned off under any circumstances.

“Please talk to our officers, who will be very visible in the city, if you have any concerns.”

Brighton and Hove City Council executive director Geoff Raw said: “Structural engineers will be working over the weekend to assess the extent of the problem which seems to have been caused by historic alterations to premises in the arches.

“We’re working as swiftly as possible with the police and key partners to ensure public safety and to keep the traffic moving as smoothly as possible.

“A contraflow system is now in place between Middle Street and West Street. Please allow extra time for journeys through this area and check the council website for updates.”