Council update after flooding on Upper North Street in Brighton

Residents shared their fury after Upper North Street was closed when a "river" began flowing along the street.

It comes just two months after buses began using the road as a diversion route for the Western Road improvements.

The diversion saw the removal of a 7.5 tonne weight restriction to accomodate the increased heavy bus traffic.

Potholes in Upper North Street (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

Photographs showed potholes forming on the road weeks after the diversion was implemented.

However, Brighton and Hove City Council reject claims that the two are linked.

A spokesman said: "Unfortunately, Southern Water have developed a major leak in Upper North Street and have had to go in to excavate. This involves closing the road.   

“The leak has nothing to do with the current use of the road as a diversion from Western Road."

A video was shared with The Argus yesterday, showing water rising out of the road surface "like a geyser".

A resident of Upper North Street, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "The road looked like it was sinking a little bit.

"Then I noticed water was pooling at the bottom of the road.

"I've not seen anything like this in the whole time I have lived here and this is the third time we've had a leak in four weeks."

The flooding made its way down to Western Road (Image: Contributor)

Western Road is closed to eastbound traffic as improvement works take place.

Almost all buses running in Brighton and Hove will travel along Western Road at some point, stopping at the main Churchill Square bus stop.

This means around 690 buses aday are now being diverted along Upper North Street.

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The council spokesman added: "We appreciate residents’ concerns about rerouted traffic passing by their properties during the closure of Western Road.

"But unfortunately there isn’t a viable, alternative option that would keep the city’s bus network moving."

This comes after angry residents held the bus company to account, mounting a legal campaign after they said the council illegally revoked the 7.5 tonne weight restriction on the road.

The signage for the weight restriction is visible on street view imagery (Image: Google)

Brighton and Hove City council issued an updated traffic regulation order on Monday, March 6.

The council spokesman added: "To prevent additional heavier traffic using Montpelier Terrace and Upper North Street, we have withdrawn the previous Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) and introduced a new one.  

“This stops heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) from using the route, other than for access. Buses will still be permitted.  

“We believe the number of HGVs using the street that would not already be permitted to do so for access, has been low. However, this change responds to concerns raised."

The Argus understands engineers are currently resurfacing Upper North Street after excavating the road to repair the issue.

It is set to reopen at 3pm today.

The road was excavated by the water company (Image: Contributor)

A spokesman for Southern Water said: "We’re very sorry for the disruption emergency repairs to a leak in Upper North Street, Brighton, has caused residents and commuters. 

“The leak damaged the surface and we closed the road while repairs were carried out.

"During this time, customers in Upper North Street, Marlborough Street and Dean Street had their supply temporarily disrupted. 

“We would like to thank customers for their patience."