Speed Indicating Devices Update 

At the Community Safety and Traffic Committee meeting in July the following speed data from the speed indicating devices in Five Ashes was shared.

The data covers the period from April to July 5th. Overall, there does seem to have been an improvement over the last two years. 

The figures in bold indicate those that would receive a ticket if logged on a speed camera.

Period	Apr-Jun 2026	Jan-Mar 2026	Apr-Jun 2025	Apr-Jun 2024
% Under 35mph	93.07	92.88	91.96	90.99
% Over 30mph	30.66	29.50	31.63	31.33
% Over 35mph	6.93	7.12	8.04	7.12
% Over 40mph	1.41	1.55	1.84	1.54
% Over 45mph	0.30	0.35	0.39	0.35

Community Speed Watch

There are now nine members in the Five Ashes and Mayfield group. Additional members would give greater flexibility and allow sessions to be undertaken more frequently. In the first six months of 2026 there were 16 sessions – two had to be cancelled due to lack of resource. 

161 vehicles were exceeding the allowed limit out of a total of over 5068 (3.8%). The percentage typically is closer to 3% but the most recent session at Five Ashes during the evening rush hour was unusually high at 5.25%. Those logged will have received a letter from the police. If anyone appears on a list twice, they receive another ‘reminder’ letter and if they appear regularly they are visited by the police and may be cautioned. Data is held centrally (by registration number) so someone could be noted on a Five Ashes list and on one from Horam for example. Two vehicles this year have been logged in different sites and one has appeared twice on here in the Parish.

If you are interested in joining the group please contact the Parish Council office for more information.

ROAD CLOSURES

Fletching Street

Since Monday 29 June, SGN engineers have been investigating reports of gas escapes near the junction with Mayfield High Street. Checks have confirmed that around 185 metres of metallic gas main, laid approximately 70 years ago, is now in poor condition and needs to be replaced immediately. This will ensure a safe and reliable supply of gas is maintained and prevent the need of future disruptive repair work.

To keep gas flowing safely and reliably to homes and businesses in the area, a new, larger plastic main is being installed. This means SGN will need to open‑cut a trench in stages along Fletching Street. Any old metallic service pipes supplying nearby properties will also be upgraded, working from the High Street junction towards The Avenue.

For everyone’s safety, Fletching Street will be closed around the excavations throughout the project. Signed diversion routes will be in place for affected drivers. All going well, it is expected that the work will take around four to five weeks. Pedestrian access will be maintained, and SGN will speak directly to residents at any property where service pipe upgrades are required.

SGN understands this work may be disruptive and thanks residents for their patience while essential safety upgrades are carried out. Progress updates will be posted at: https://www.sgn.co.uk/our-gas-works/roadworks-your-area 

Drainage works – A267 at Argos Hill

From Monday 03 August to Friday 07 August 2026 between 9am – 4pm, East Sussex Highways will be connecting drainage pipes, building a new concrete drainage structure, and reshaping the ground to improve water flow, on A267 at Argos Hill.  They will be working from ‘Gables Farm’ and continuing approximately 315 metres South. The road will remain open with temporary traffic lights in

place for the duration of the works. Please be polite and respectful to the site teams, they are working to keep everyone safe.

A267/A272 Summerhill

Balfour Beatty, working with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex, will be refreshing the road markings at the junctions of the A267, Mayfield Road & A272 Summer Hill, Five Ashes. Work be will carried out on Wednesday 12 August 2026 from 7pm – 6am. Any change to the dates or times will be informed via advanced warning signs.

The A267, Mayfield Road will remain open with temporary traffic lights in place. However, the A272, Summer Hill junction will be closed to through traffic with a diversion route in place via A267, Bunny Lane, A26, A272 and vice versa. Access for emergency vehicles will be maintained at all times.

For safety, access to properties within the works area will be limited and managed during working hours. If you need access, please speak to the team on site, as arrangements and routes may change as work progresses. Please bear in mind, there could also be a delay while the area is made safe for you to pass and your vehicle may be escorted by site marshalls. This is for properties with direct access within the closure area only and there will be no through route.

Conclusion of Ofwat’s investigation 

Information has been provided on the investigation into historical water supply disruptions between 2020 and 2023. South East Water has finalised a £30.5 million redress package, which will be wholly funded by its shareholders, agreed in close collaboration with Ofwat. This legally binding commitment will replace an initially proposed £22 million fine, ensuring that all funds are invested directly into local network resilience and community redress.

Apology from South East Water:

We are incredibly sorry that water supplies have been affected for some of our customers across Kent and Sussex, sometimes on multiple occasions. This is not the level of service we aim to provide, nor is it the service that our customers deserve. We understand how difficult these disruptions have been personally for families, local businesses, and the wider community. 

We accept Ofwat’s findings regarding these past supply failures. Through the £30.5 million redress package, the company’s shareholders will fund:

• £13m to undertake further investment following an independent root and branch review of the company’s resilience.
• £5m to speed up the smart metering programme for businesses.
• £5m to help households to collect rainwater and reduce demand on the mains supply through the provision of free water butts.
• £5m to install on-site storage tanks and smart meters in high-usage businesses to help manage the network better at peak times.
• £1m to make sure critical settings don’t run out of water if there is a future outage.
• £1.5m to create a community relief fund to give back to communities that suffered the worst water supply failures.

We are entirely focused on learning from these past challenges. This package directly aligns with our upcoming Price Review 24 (PR24) Business Plan, which represents our largest-ever investment programme. Moving forward, our absolute priority is investing heavily in transforming our business, creating sustainable water resources, improving network resilience, and increasing our drinking water storage capacity. We recognise that rebuilding trust requires visible action and long-term network reliability. We remain fully committed to delivering the resilient public water supply that you and your constituents expect and deserve.

Council office opening hours in August

Due to annual leave the Parish Council office will be closed from 14 August to 28 August 2026. If you need to contact a councillor or the Chairman urgently, please see contact details on the Council’s website at:  https://mayfieldfiveashes-pc.gov.uk/latestparishcouncilnews/parish-councillors/