Catalytic converter theft

A theft of a catalytic converter in the High Street was reported to me in January. There have previously been other thefts from vehicles in South Street car park.

Signs a catalytic converter theft is being committed:

• a vehicle being raised using a car jack in a car park or residential area
• a loud drilling or cutting sound coming from underneath the vehicle

To keep your catalytic converter safe, you can ask your car dealer for advice on locks or guards that are approved by the vehicle manufacturer and tested to Sold Secure Gold. Try to park in a garage or if this isn’t possible, a well lit area that’s overlooked and try to park so that the converter can’t be easily reached by potential thieves. Vehicles that sit high above the road are particularly vulnerable. Register your converter and mark it with a forensic marker, making it harder for thieves to dispose of.

If the crime is in progress phone 999. If it is if it is safe to do so, take photos of suspects or the number plate of their getaway car (do not approach suspects as they have been known to use violence).

If the crime has already happened phone 101, report it to Sussex Police online or visit the Crowborough Police Station.

Parking

One of the biggest bugbears for residents are issues concerning parking – on double yellow lines, at junctions blocking sightlines and exceeding the two-hour restriction in Mayfield High Street. In December, I was informed that a bus driver refused to go to the High Street due to badly parked vehicles blocking the road which is worrying. At the time of writing this article it is scheduled to be on the agenda for our Community Safety and Traffic meeting towards the end of January to discuss what could be done. The Parish Council has no powers to deal with parking offences as it remains a criminal offence in Wealden. Only Sussex Police can issue parking penalties but the Crime Commissioner has said it is not one of their priorities unless it is causing a danger. 

Antisocial parking can be reported online as antisocial driving to Operation Crackdown (http://www.operationcrackdown.org) but you need to have the car details and registration number. Repeat offenders will be written to by the Police to educate them. They say this is proving to be a deterrent. Please think about where you are parking and whether it is causing a hazard or an obstruction particularly to larger vehicles such as buses and the emergency services.

Antisocial behaviour

Disappointingly, youths have continued to behave antisocially in the wooden den for young children in the play area at Court Meadow. Over Christmas they have tried to have fires within the den and there is damage to the floor and entrance steps. This has been reported to Sussex Police who will add it to their patrol at the times we understand the antisocial behaviour is occurring. It is sad that this piece of equipment, selected following consultation with the Primary School children, is being ruined for everyone else’s enjoyment.

Suggestions have been made to take the equipment away. Repairing the den or removing it will be costly and impact on Council finances ultimately paid for by all of us living within the parish. The Council has agreed not to raise the precept in 2023/24 for general day to day expenditure for the sixth year running. With the current inflation, increased maintenance and material costs any unanticipated costs may become unaffordable without an increase in precept in future years. Again, if you witness any antisocial behaviour please report it (preferably when it is actually happening) to Sussex Police by telephoning 101.

Reminder – Parish Council elections on 4^th May 2023

The Notice of Election is due to be published on Monday 20 March 2023 after which nomination packs will be sent to the Clerks to issue to Councillors. There should be enough for 15 Councillors and hopefully some spares for residents who would like to be considered for election. The primary role of a councillor is to represent the views and interests of residents. At meetings, Councillors can participate in decision making, contribute to policy and strategy review, and formulate initiatives that will help the community flourish. There is more information on the Electoral Commissions website: 

The state of our roads

In January Councils received a letter from Councillor Claire Dowling, the Lead Member for Transport and Environment at East Sussex County Council (ESCC):

“The nation’s roads have taken a battering from the weather in recent months, and I wanted to let you know how East Sussex Highways are responding. After the wettest November on record, we have had freezing conditions, followed by a thaw and more heavy rain. And we are only halfway through the winter.”

“In East Sussex, like all other areas, we are working flat out to repair as much of this new damage as quickly as we can. Right now, we have around 2,000 reported potholes, which is approximately 1,200 more than we would normally expect with more reported all the time as winter continues. 

In response, we have almost doubled the number of gangs working on road repairs (from 10 to 17) by diverting them from other highways work. They are working in all weathers and for longer hours, including at weekends. Over the last seven days they have repaired 700 potholes. 

Most pothole repairs will be of the quality to be permanent but there will be times when our contractors need to make temporary repairs. This may be in emergencies or where it is not safe to carry out a permanent repair because of the speed of passing traffic or at a busy junction. We only pay once for each pothole fixed, even if it has both a temporary and permanent repair.”

There are times, including over Christmas and the New Year, when tarmac plants are closed and hot tarmac is not available. When this happens, our contractor has to use a cold-lay material to repair potholes. This is specially designed to fill potholes and is applied to the manufacturer’s instructions but does not have the same appearance as a repair where the pothole has been cut out, lined, and filled with hot tarmac. 

By the end of November we had already patched 800 sections of road across the county, with 100 more sites to be finished before the end of March. 

We are responsible for 2,000 miles of roads and 1,542 miles of pavements and cycleways across East Sussex, as well as hundreds of bridges, thousands of drains and road signs, 37,500 streetlights and nearly 2,800 miles of verge and hedges. 

East Sussex County Council has invested an extra £8.9 million this year in this highways network. This means we are now spending more than £40 million a year on maintaining it to as high a standard as we can. 

We are very grateful for peoples’ patience as we continue to tackle the winter backlog on our roads, over the coming months, which includes fallen trees and flooding. 

However, we can only repair the potholes and incidents we are made aware of, and we would ask you and your residents to please report any problems with the road condition to East Sussex Highways’ Report a Problem: https://www.eastsussexhighways.com

Thank you for your understanding during these very difficult winter months.”

All aboard!

ESCC is pleased to let you know that they are participating in the Department for Transport’s £2 fare scheme. Stagecoach bus users in the south east are set to benefit from three months of bus fares of no more than £2 for a single journey as part of the Department for Transport’s new fares initiative. 

All the local bus services across East Sussex will offer a maximum fare of just £2 for any single journey between 1 January and 31 March 2023.

Time to get walking again!

Walking in Sussex https://www.walkinginengland.co.uk/sussex has loads of walks to download and print, free, it also has books of walks, details of all the walking groups in the county and much more. Whether you want to walk on your own or with a group all the information is there in one place. 

With walks from half a mile to twelve miles plus long, and a note of suitability for pushchairs and wheelchairs, everyone can find a walk to enjoy.

Instagram – mayfieldvillagelife 

Available to for Mayfield and Five Ashes, this site can be messaged with details of a local event or alternatively, contact Cllr Sally Ann Tibbles: sally-ann.tibbles@mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk

and she will put it information up for you. The site ‘mayfieldvillagelife’ is a picture book of activities in this Parish. (Press ‘follow’ at the top of the page and you will be notified of posts as they appear.)

Parish Council Meetings

The meeting schedule on the website: http://www.mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk/ shows this month’s Council and Committee meetings as well as agendas, minutes of meetings and other meeting documentation

Janna Todd, Parish Clerk 

Old Manor House, High Street, Mayfield TN20 6AL 

Telephone 01435 873784          E-mail: clerk@mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk