New teams of Highway Rangers are taking to the streets of West Sussex to tackle the smaller problems that can leave neighbourhoods looking untidy or neglected.
New teams of Highway Rangers are taking to the streets of West Sussex to tackle the smaller problems that can leave neighbourhoods looking untidy or neglected.
West Sussex County Council launched the countywide pilot on 3 August, with the first work beginning in Worthing.
The rangers will focus on visible, small-scale maintenance jobs, including cleaning road and traffic signs, cutting back overhanging vegetation, clearing debris from drains and removing weeds from pavement edges.
They will also carry out minor repairs to street furniture, trim hedges, remove unauthorised signs and advertisements and help declutter roadside areas.
The teams will move around West Sussex during the pilot, which is due to run until March 2027.
Councillor Erika Woodhurst-Trueman, the council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said the scheme was designed to respond to issues residents regularly raise.
She said obscured signs, overgrown vegetation and blocked drains could affect people’s pride in their neighbourhoods and their confidence that local concerns were being addressed.
The Highway Rangers will work alongside town and parish councils, community groups, volunteers and existing highways teams.
Areas for attention will be identified through local councillors, councils, partner organisations, routine inspections and issues raised by residents.
The council has warned that, as a countywide resource, the teams will not be able to respond to every problem reported.
The scheme will also not replace core highways services, such as pothole repairs, road inspections, major drainage work and winter gritting.
The council will assess the improvements delivered, feedback from communities and the overall value of the service before deciding whether the programme should continue beyond the pilot.
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