A TRANSPORT minister was driven along an “unsafe” stretch of road ahead of a decision on a multi-million pound investment.

John Hayes MP visited part of the A27 in East Sussex weeks before an announcement is due on a government spending plan.

He was told improvements would be “game-changing” as he travelled from the Esso Pevensey Service Station on Bexhill Road, to the Giant’s Rest, Polegate.

The Government has been carrying out a feasibility study into solving long-standing congestion issues along the road.

An announcement on the deliverability and affordability of the plans will be made in the Chancellor’s autumn statement due in December.

Councillor Caroline Ansell, deputy leader of Eastbourne Conservatives, said: “Such a massive investment could be game changing, benefiting businesses and providing a safer route for motorists.

“The route has been chosen to unfavourably juxtapose the first stretch of the A27 and the road between Polegate and Lewes, which is in need of investment.

“Poignantly, the junction opposite the Giant’s Rest – known as the Wilmington Crossing – is a notorious example of the unsafe nature of the road.”

An A27 Reference Group was set up this year to oversee the Department of Transport’s review of improvement options.

The group found the A27 corridor from Eastbourne to the east of Lewes, was “performing below average”, was found to have “safety issues, particularly on single carriageway sections”, suffered from “issues of capacity resulting in poor journey times and congestion” and said all the issues “undermine scope for investment and wider economic gains”.

A separate A27 Action campaign aims to persuade the Government of the “overwhelming economic, environmental and social case” for improving the A27.

Business leaders and politicians want to see congestion eased at key bottlenecks at Chichester, Arundel, Worthing and Lancing.

An announcement will be made in the autumn statement.