RESIDENTS of a block paved street in a conservation area are angry it has been dug up for cable work.

Market Street in Lewes, close to the castle, is one of three roads where Virgin Media is putting fibre optic cables beneath the surface.

The work was co-ordinated with East Sussex County Council to last only three weeks in an attempt to minimise the effect on the town.

However residents in the street, which has numerous Grade II listed Georgian buildings, are upset as they were told the cobbles would be replaced with tarmac.

Liz McVicar, 66, has been living in Market Street since 1994, a year after the cobbles were put down.

She said: “The road needed repairing as it dipped but nobody was consulted about removing the cobbles at all.

“We live in a conservation area and now the road won’t look as nice.

“Every little thing that doesn’t get replaced diminishes Lewes’s charm.”

Her view is shared by many others in the area, who were upset they were not asked about the removal of the block paving by the county council.

However the council said the blocks were difficult to maintain and the new surface would benefit residents in the long term.

An East Sussex highways spokesman said: “The decision to remove the block paving in Market Street and replace it with a conventional asphalt surface was taken following consultation with the district and town councils.

“The blocks are difficult to maintain, especially as this is a very busy road where heavy vehicles such as buses and lorries are channelled into one lane.

“We’ve also received complaints from local residents about the blocks and the noise they generate when traffic is passing over them and the new surface will be quieter and less disruptive to residents.”

There is mounting concern that the new surface will cause traffic problems.

David Skeet, 59, manager of Lewes Flea Market in Market Street, said: “The main concern is with traffic – the cobbles had a calming effect.

“Now people will speed down the street.”

Lewes Mayor Mike Chartier, who is ward councillor for the area, is also concerned about the effect on Lewes’s heritage.

He said: “Lewes is a historic town and many of the roads have features which you would expect to see in an old town.

“Clearly things need to be put back as they were.

“I think there are legitimate concerns about this and what is appropriate for a town which dates back to Saxon times.

“I want Lewes to be a town that reflects its rich heritage – and the cobbles are a part of that heritage.”