Terrible weather, busy traffic and an unusual composition makes Tram Road at Rye Harbour vulnerable to damage. But local residents turned out in force to make it fighting fit again last weekend.
Approximately three-quarters of Tram Road in the Harbour is "unadopted" and the surface is a mixture of foundation concrete from the old nineteenth-century works (which cast the blocks for Dover Harbour), rubble and shingle.
And the daily traffic of delivery vans, dustcarts and numerous cars, exacerbated by rainfall (of which we have had plenty recently) inevitably creates deep, water-filled potholes meaning a bumpy ride for residents.
Harbour folk, however, are made of stern stuff and have set out many times to tame the road and bring its potholes into submission. It is an ongoing story of which this weekend's chapter was played out with a mechanical digger hired for the purpose, a bespoke "harrow" to break up the surface, and a small army of men, women and children armed with mattocks, spades and rakes.
Not only was the road restored to something much more level and driveable; there was a palpable buzz as everyone mucked in for the common good on a chilly yet sunny Saturday morning.
Photos: KT Bruce
