Villagers fear lorries are damaging ancient buildings

Lorries "thundering" through an East Sussex village are causing damage to ancient buildings and are a danger to pedestrians, villagers say.

Residents in Pevensey are calling for a speed limit reduction to 20mph and a weight limit restriction to slow traffic and stop lorries cutting through the village to and from Eastbourne.

They claim a 400 year-old Tudor wall painting in The Mint House, a former inn, is crumbling due to vibrations "rocking the foundations" - and that the Roman walls of Pevensey Castle have been hit and scraped by passing lorries.

East Sussex County Council (ESCC) said it would consider the issue when it received a petition from the village, which has more than 500 signatures.

Gemma Lloyd, chair of The Mint House, said the "really rare" Tudor wall paintings were "getting hugely damaged by the HGVs thundering past".

"Every time I come I can see the cracking, a lot of it has fallen off now," she said.

"When this building was built it was just a little dirt track [outside].

"Cars and HGVs are getting bigger, it's just not sustainable with these historic buildings and the safety of the road."

Lloyd said they wanted to discourage vehicles coming through the village apart from access for deliveries.

Peter Lowton, chair of Pevensey Parish Council, said: "Like a lot of places there's more and more traffic, but for us there's a lot of speeding cars through here. Also we're getting damage to the Mint House and Pevensey Castle.

"William the Conqueror landed here in 1066, we ought to try to honour him and the memory of the Normans arriving here and protect the heritage we have left."

Nigel Sinclair, who has lived in the area for 50 years, said it was "tragic seeing our history deteriorating".

A spokesperson for ESCC said the authority was directing its funding towards areas which would have the greatest impact.

The authority said it had introduced new 30mph, 40mph and 50mph speed limits at 16 priority sites, but that the B2191 had "not been identified as a priority for a reduced speed limit at this time."

"We have yet to receive the petition, but the concerns raised will be considered in full once we do," they added.

A Historic England spokesperson said The Mint House was a "rare and special Sussex building".

They added: "Its long history on Pevensey High Street has left it a big conservation challenge, and we added Mint House to our Heritage at Risk Register in 2022 in recognition of its declining condition."

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