MOTORISTS are facing a bumpy ride as they travel through East Grinstead and surrounding villages.

The recent wintry weather has left roads in the area littered with deep potholes.

Motorist Ian Nicholls told the Courier and Observer that he faces expensive repair bills after hitting a large pothole in Sharpthorne.

"Obviously the council have not used all our road tax money to do anything to prevent this, nor do they seem to care.

"Their lack of action is shameful and an insult to law abiding and conscientious road users like myself."

But West Sussex County Council has added an extra £2.4million to its budget to deal with the state of the county's roads.

Derek Whittington, county council cabinet member for strategic planning and transport, said: "We know that following the thaw there will be a considerable amount of damage which needs repairing.

"Non-urgent repairs have already been suspended in order to free up staff to work on this damage, but this will inevitably take some time to address."

He added: "Where possible permanent repairs will be made but it is expected that most repairs will be temporary. This is because a temporary repair is quicker and we are therefore able to keep up with the number of potholes appearing and keep the roads safe as best we can in the current conditions.

"More extensive damage will require either patching, localised reconstruction or resurfacing."

Has your car been damaged by a pothole? Is your road particularly bad? Leave your comments below