A DRIVER who almost crashed after hitting a large crack in a road says more must to be done to tackle potholes.

Louis Archer-Pennington was driving back to Brighton from Peacehaven when his car hit a hole at the side of the A259 coast road and he momentarily lost control of the vehicle.

The 21-year-old said: “I was on the coast road between Telscombe and Saltdean when I hit a massive crack at the side of the road.

“I didn’t see it because it was dark. Because my actual wheel slipped into the pothole, I couldn’t steer for a moment and it made the car turn to the right.

“If you hit it at speed it could be really bad.”

Louis said hitting the crack in the road damaged his tyre so badly he had to get a new one.

He said: “It punctured my tyre and chipped away the alloy on the wheel.

“I’ve been complaining about potholes for ages, but this one was really bad.”

Louis, who lives in Whitehawk Road in Brighton, said he has to travel all over the city for his job as a roofer, and he is “constantly trying to dodge potholes”.

He said: “They’re everywhere. Nearly every road in Brighton and Hove has them.

“There’s a big one on my road in Whitehawk and it’s bad in Moulsecoomb too, where my girlfriend lives.

“If it was just one it would not be so bad but they’re all over the city.”

Louis reported the crack in the A259 to East Sussex County Council, which is responsible for that road, but he said they have not yet responded.

He said: “I think it’s the council’s job to carry out proper maintenance.

“They’re not fixing all these potholes and they are getting worse.

“Where they’re being left they are getting deeper and deeper and it’s really dangerous.”

A spokesman for East Sussex County Council said: “We understand it is frustrating when motorists sustain damage as a result of potholes. Our highways steward has carried out an inspection of this section of road, and we will be carrying out repairs within the next 28 days.

“The number of potholes always increases during the winter months, particularly after prolonged periods of wet and cold weather, which means once potholes form they can become larger and deeper more quickly than usual. The county council’s maintenance contractor takes on additional workers at this time of year to make sure potholes are repaired as quickly as possible.

“We encourage residents to help us keep the county’s 2,000 miles of roads in good shape by reporting potholes or other defects to us at www.eastsussexhighways.com. ”