A WATER company has pushed back the completion date for works on the A259.

Southern Water has said its work to "replace a section of water main lead pipe and fix a leak" in Rottingdean will continue until tomorrow.

The works caused severe delays on the coast road yesterday as temporary traffic lights in place around the works failed.

There was gridlock on the A259 and in nearby towns for several hours as a result.

The Argus:

One driver described the disruption as “immense” saying it had taken them two hours and 28 minutes to travel between Peacehaven and Hove - an eight mile journey along the A259 which Google Maps predicts will take 29 minutes.

In a statement on Tuesday, Southern Water said it hoped to have the works completed by yesterday evening.

But the company's latest statement says "these are planned works until Friday".

In the update it said: "We are sorry for the disruption caused by our works in Rottingdean.

"We know it can be frustrating when there are roadworks, and these are essential for the complex repairs taking place on the A259, which are in a difficult location.

The Argus:

"These are planned works until Friday to replace a section of water main lead pipe and fix a leak, as agreed with the local highways authority.

"Traffic management remains in place for the time being so we can work as quickly and safely as possible.

"The lights are manned by our teams 7am-7pm to try and reduce the amount of traffic building up and we hope to remove them by Friday.

"We apologise for the disruption caused by our vital work and thank everyone for their patience."

An AA spokesman warned of slow traffic in the area surrounding the roadworks this morning.

He said: "There are temporary traffic signals due to water main work on the A259 Marine Drive at the B2123 High Street."

Pictures: @dmoonuk