Biker blames council for Jury's Gap Road crash

Leigh Sayers may have to have his finger amputated after coming off his Aprilla RSV motorbike on the road between Camber and Lydd on July 18.

The 44-year-old from Maidstone, Kent, blames East Sussex Highways for not repairing a defect which he believes caused the crash.

The biker of 10 years has had his confidence knocked and said he may not ride a motorbike again after what happened.

“It’s got to the point now that I’m seriously thinking about giving up motorcycle riding altogether,” he said.

“It’s really unsettled me and it’s really rocked my confidence as the doctors said I may or may not be able to ride a motorcycle again because of my finger. I don’t really want to hear that.”

Mr Sayers was on a ride with his friend who was testing a new motorcycle when he came round a corner, hit a bump and lost control.

The last thing he remembers is his helmet hitting the floor and it being like ‘someone switched a light off’.

The air ambulance took him to William Harvey Hospital after suffering serious injuries – the bike was written off with a £9,500 repair bill.

He is still in ‘excruciating’ pain and little use of his hand, which puts his job as a self-employed painter and decorator at risk.

Motorcycle Action Group’s Phil Pickering has been campaigning for the road to be fixed and Mr Sayers is backing his efforts.

No solicitor he has gone to will take on his case but he believes the council should not be ‘allowed to get away with it’.

“When I went to visit it a few weeks later I was appalled by the condition of the road it’s been left in,” he said.

“What’s it going to take for them to do something will it take an accident where someone dies? But then it would be too late.

“They know it’s an issue but they’re not willing to sort it.”

An East Sussex Highways spokesman said the road is due to be resurfaced in the next financial year as it is not a priority while it has limited resources.

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