In October 1997, public enemy number one was a certain jagged super pothole in Brighton.

In one night alone, it was reported that the vehicles of eight motorists received punctures from the damaged tarmac in Clermont Road.

There were stories coming to us of tyres “blowing up” and cars swerving out of control.

One driver told us: “I saw about eight cars all laid up with punctures. A few minutes later I saw another car come down the road and when it hit the hole the tyre really exploded.”

Following our story on October 10, 1997, police visited the scene to cordon the hole off with cones.

The hole, it was revealed, was the responsibility of Southern Water, which had been working on a supply pipe under the road.

A spokesman for the company told us work had been carried out but heavy rain had washed the new tarmac away.

The following year, roadworks caused a row between the then-managing director of Brighton and Hove Bus & Coach Company, Roger French, and just about everyone else in the city.

Following weeks of traffic chaos during work on London Road, he said selfish motorists were to blame.

He criticised drivers for ignoring signs around the city and said the public would be better off on the bus.

However, roadworks do not just have an impact on drivers and bus passengers, they also affect nearby businesses.

In August 2000, we reported on the sad closure of one of the oldest aquarium shops in the country.

Aubrey Ayton set up the first shop of its kind south of London in Beaconsfield Road, Brighton, in 1945. Her daughter Joy took over after she retired and continued to run Preston Aquarium into the new millennium.

However, disruption caused by the one-way London Road works left the then 56-year-old with no option but to shut up shop.

Describing the disruption to her customers, she said: “One woman said it took her one and a half hours to get to us and said she wouldn’t be doing the same again. Customers are so different these days. As long as they get what they want, they don’t care about service any more. It is going to be really sad when I shut the doors for the last time but I am tired of fighting.”

We are all used to roadworks overrunning, with various complications along the way.

In 1998, works in Brighton’s London Road area were dealt a setback after workmen came across old tram lines while digging up the road.

The old lines, which used to be central to the city’s transport, were found along Ditchling Road running to the Old Steine and along New England Street and Viaduct Road.

The Brighton Corporation Tramway, which operated for the first half of the 20th century, ran services from the aquarium to Race Hill, Dyke Road, Lower Rock Garden and Queen’s Park.

In 2006, we reported on roadworks in White Street, Brighton. Workmen chose not to close the road for the resurfacing work – which you would have thought would have pleased residents. However, locals slammed the work following its completion, describing the result as resembling a patchwork quilt.

Two workman had been sent up the road to carry out the work and simply laid tarmac around the cars, leaving a multi-coloured, multi-layered finish.

Resident Patricia Johnson, 60, got in touch to tell of her frustration. She said: “We can’t understand why they didn’t close the whole road and do the whole lot in a few days. They have been leaving patches and doing bits and pieces. It’s crazy.” Resident Dominic Dudkowski, 44, added: “It’s a complete waste of money. The parking bays will have to be done again and we’ll have to move our cars again.”