Uckfield high street now fully open, official says

An East Sussex high street which was partially closed after scaffolding was erected in front of an unsafe historic building is now "fully open", according to a local official.

Wealden District Council (WDC) said scaffolding on the former Maidens Head Hotel on Uckfield High Street has been rebuilt so it no longer encroaches onto the road.

Temporary traffic lights have also been removed, according to the local authority.

Uckfield High Street was partly shut after vertical cracks appeared on the Grade II listed building, which WDC said posed a "serious danger" of falling debris.

Businesses previously complained to the BBC they were being hit hard as people were avoiding the high street due to the four-way traffic lights.

Residents, meanwhile, said they faced delays getting around.

Holly Goring, clerk at Uckfield Town Council, said she was "incredibly grateful" to the contractors who had worked hard to find an alternative scaffolding design to "ultimately get it off the highway".

"We're really pleased," she told BBC Radio Sussex.

"The high street is now fully open."

Ms Goring added the local authority changed the scaffolding to support local businesses, after concerns were expressed over falling footfall.

She said further investigations were needed to estimate the cost and extent of remedial work to the Maidens Head Hotel building, which dates back to the 18th Century.

It comes after train services between Crowborough and Uckfield were disrupted due to a signalling system fault on Thursday.

Network Rail warned the disruption could likely last into Monday as repair teams needed to find the fault with the signalling, which is powered by a 19-mile cable.

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