Council fills in pothole days after Porsche driver, 74, was killed in horror smash having 'swerved to avoid hitting one'
A council has filled a huge pothole just days after a 74-year-old Porsche driver was killed in a four-car collision on the same road as they 'swerved to avoid the crater in the tarmac'.
Sussex Police detectives believe the sports car crashed into a white BMW as it attempted to dodge the pothole before hitting two other vehicles and the porch of a roadside house in Petworth, West Sussex, on April 29.
The driver of the 911 997 GT2 Porsche, from Reigate, Surrey, was pronounced dead at the scene and a 65-year-old man from Midhurst, Sussex, who was driving the white BMW was taken to hospital after incurring 'serious injuries' and is now stable.
Now, new pictures show that the pothole on the A272, believed to be responsible for the crash, has been filled in with tarmac.
A 74-year-old man died in an incident on the A272 Horsham Road near Petworth in West Sussex on April 29 (Pictured: the wrecked Porsche GT2)
Sussex Police are investigating the possibility that the Porsche crashed after swerving to avoid hitting one of the many large potholes on the road (Pictured: the pothole before it was filled)
The large pothole in the previous picture was filled and repaired just days after the horror car crash
New pictures show the pothole on the A272, believed to be responsible for the crash, filled in with fresh tarmac
But reports sent to West Sussex Council on March 14 reveal they were warned about drivers on the same stretch of the A272 veering onto the opposite side of the road to avoid hitting potholes.
A concerned member of the public informed the council of a 1.6ft-wide pothole on the road going west, and another 1.3ft-wide crater in the other direction.
The report said: 'Both cause vehicles to veer into the opposite carriageway. They have been there for longer than 30 days and are continuing to deteriorate.'
The same day, another individual also wrote in and said: 'In 14 months I've had to buy four new wheels, 12 tyres and two new front wheel bearings all due to the negligence of the public highway. I want answers.
'Both east and westbound the carriageway is destroyed and liable to cause a serious accident'.
Those living near the scene said the stretch of road is notorious for speeding. There is no suggestion at this time that excessive speed played a factor in the incident.
One local said: 'Everybody speeds down this hill. After winding through all the lanes, its frustration.
'Once they see the long straight, they think: "This is my chance to overtake".'
Reports sent to West Sussex Council on March 14 reveal they were warned about drivers on the same stretch of the A272 veering onto the opposite side of the road to avoid hitting potholes (Pictured: another angle of the repaired pothole)
Police attending the cordoned off scene of the fatal 4-car collision on the A272 on April 29
Another pothole surrounding a drain pictured on the same road the council were warned about
The air ambulance, that took the 65-year-old man in the white BMW to hospital with serious injuries, pictured at the scene
The report was made by FixMyStreet, an app for road users to report potholes to the RAC, which showed that a third of motorists have been forced to swerve quickly to avoid a pothole and ended up completely crossing into another lane or the other side of the road.
A West Sussex County Council spokesperson said at the time of the collision: 'We are aware of a four-vehicle collision on the A272 Horsham Road in Petworth on Monday (29 April) in which a man has sadly died and another driver suffered injuries.
'First and foremost, our thoughts are with the families and friends of those involved. The police are carrying out a collision investigation and we await their findings. It would not be appropriate to comment any further at this time.'
West Sussex County Council and Sussex Police have been contacted for further comment.
