Sussex Police Urge Drivers Not To Travel To Lewes Bonfire Night

There will be changes and closures to roads and rail services in Lewes on November 5 for the Lewes Bonfire celebrations.

With Lewes Bonfire Night just days away, members of the public are being urged not to travel to the event.

Measures, including road closures and parking restrictions, are being brought in to help the event pass safely by managing the number of people attending.

Emergency services, local authorities and transport operators have been planning for the celebrations for many months.

This is the first time in three years that Lewes Bonfire celebrations have fallen on a working weekday, with a warning to commuters not to get caught out by railway changes and road closures.

Trains won't call at Lewes and surrounding stations from 5pm and the last train back from London Victoria will leave as early as 3.54pm.

There remain serious concerns about overcrowding in the narrow streets of Lewes. Since 2019, 212 injuries were reported, and 17 people had to be taken to hospital. Many  were hurt on the procession routes and by bangers or other fireworks.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service Station Manager Alex Probyn said:

“We would ask that you head to locally organised firework events rather than coming to Lewes, as crowded streets make it harder for us to get to people in an emergency.

"We also want to remind people of the Firework Code to help us all have a safe night.”

Southern’s Customer Services Director Jenny Saunders said:

“The multiagency group, which includes all the emergency services, has examined closely the risks of fireworks and overcrowding in the narrow streets of Lewes.

“In the interests of public safety, we have once again been asked not to stop our trains at Lewes and the four surrounding stations from 5pm on the day of Lewes Bonfire.

“This is a Tuesday, a regular working day, and the last train back to Lewes from London Victoria will be as early as 3.54pm.

"We're sorry for this and urge customers who use those five stations to consider working from home or to carefully plan ahead using our online journey planner at southernrailway.com.”

Sussex Police Chief Superintendent Howard Hodges said:

“We will have officers on duty to support the event’s stewarding and security teams, this includes at road closure sites as well as in the town centre itself.

“If you see suspicious activity or see something that doesn’t seem right, then please report it to the stewarding teams or our officers on patrol. In an emergency always call 999.

“Unfortunately, each year the event is held we do make arrests, including for offences such as assaults (including on police officers), criminal damage, and possession of drugs. This is clearly not acceptable.

“Our officers will be supporting partner agencies and Lewes District Council on the night to ensure public safety, and we are determined to ensure that this is an event everyone can enjoy safely.”

Becky Cooke, Director of Tourism, Culture and Organisational Development at Lewes District Council said: 

“We work closely with other organisations and with crowd control experts to identify where they may be problems with over-crowding.

"We will have stewards working on the night, giving people advice on where they should avoid, and we ask that anyone who chooses to attend follows this guidance to help keep people safer.

“We are encouraging anyone living outside of the town who wants to experience the event to tune into the Rocket FM video live stream.

"This has been running for a few years now and has proven a really popular way for people to get enjoy the event from the comfort of your own home and without needing to add to the risk of overcrowding in the town.

“The live stream will be available at www.youtube.com/@RocketFMLewes where footage from previous years is also available.”

Road closures

Road closures will be in place around the town from 4.45 pm. Diversions will be in place for traffic to travel outside of the town. Lewes residents are advised to get vehicles home before 4.45pm to avoid any road closures in place. Visitors are advised not to bring vehicles into the town.

The road closures will affect:
• A27 junction with A277 Brighton Road (Ashcombe Roundabout)
• A275 Offham Road with B2116 Plumpton Road
• C7 Kingston Road junction with C324 Wellgreen Lane
• A26 junction with A2029 Malling Street
• A26 Malling Hill Junction with Church Lane

Parking restrictions will begin to be imposed from 12:00.

A full list of road closures and parking restrictions is available at www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/lewesbonfire

Rail changes

Stations that are closed will be Lewes, Falmer, Cooksbridge, Glynde and Southease stations from 5pm on Tuesday 5th November 2024, until first trains in the morning 6th November 2024.

The last train passing through will call at all the stations due to be closed to assist customers getting home; this is new for this year to aid more people getting home.

Trains will not start calling again until the first trains on Wednesday 6 November.

Commuters are advised to check travel times, especially returning to the area from London stations, with the last scheduled trains stopped at these five stations being much earlier in the afternoon.

Choose Local:

People are also being encouraged to attend fireworks events closer to home and not to attend Lewes Bonfire Night. Visit: www.esfrs.org/choose-local-events-this-bonfire-season for more information on local firework events across East Sussex.

It is recognised there will be an impact on train passengers and road users who are not planning to attend the event.

The decision to bring in travel restrictions has been made in the best interests of safety. It is hoped that those who are inconvenienced will understand that and have time to make alternative arrangements where possible.