A “monster” pothole is said to be causing havoc with drivers and cyclists having to swerve to avoid damaging their cars or injuring themselves.

Residents have raised fears that the damaged road could cause an accident after it was first reported last year.

Councillors have called for “urgent action” to fix the hole which they say has not been repaired and is getting larger.

Derek Allen, a business owner near West Street in Lewes, said: "I reported this pothole at the end of last year, but it still hasn't been repaired and it's just getting larger.

“Cars have to swerve to avoid it and I'm worried that there might be an accident."

Liberal Democrat Town Councillors in Lewes say that the West Street pothole has been reported multiple times to East Sussex County Council by councillors and residents.

They say that East Sussex Highways and their contractors have acknowledged these reports but the road still remains unrepaired.

Lib Dem town councillor Kevin West said: "This pothole is a true monster.

“Anyone driving down West Street has to swerve to avoid it or risk damaging their car.

“We all understand that East Sussex Highways have a big job to do, but telling residents that it could be up to a month before they'll repair it is unacceptable.

"We are calling on East Sussex Highways to take urgent action to repair this monster pothole before it causes an accident."

Cllr Janet Baah added: "The West Street pothole is particularly serious as a cyclist could be badly hurt if they hit it at speed.

"I am always being contacted by residents about the state of the town's roads.

“It seems that Lewes is particularly neglected by the county council - which is ironic as County Hall is located in the town. It has definitely got worse in the last year or two.”

An East Sussex Highways spokeswoman said: “We are aware of this pothole on West Street in Lewes, and it is in our work programme to be repaired.

“Along with the rest of the country, East Sussex roads have suffered from the extreme weather experienced in recent years. To deal with the increasing number of potholes we have seen over the winter period, we currently have double the number of crews working to carry out repairs as quickly as possible.

“In addition the county council recently agreed to invest an additional £15.7 million on top of the annual highways budget to repair the damage to our road network.

“We are responsible for more than 2,000 miles of road so prioritise our work, according to locally approved policies, to ensure potholes that present the greatest danger to road users are repaired as quickly as possible.

“People can find out how and when we repair potholes and report potholes to us directly via our website at www.eastsussexhighways.com.”