Crawley: Thousands sign subway petition after boy's death

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Tyler WillsImage source, SUSSEX POLICE
Image caption,

Tyler Wills died after he tried to cross Crawley Avenue as the underpass was flooded

More than 2,300 people have signed a petition calling for better drainage in Crawley underpasses following the death of a 12-year-old boy last month.

Tyler Wills died after he was hit by a car as he tried to cross Crawley Avenue when the pedestrian subway was flooded.

The petition, started by his grandmother, also calls for fencing along the central reservation where the crash happened.

Claire Reynolds said: "The road is a danger and we must protect others."

The ongoing issue of flooding in underpasses was raised during a West Sussex County Council meeting on Friday, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Council leader Paul Marshall said officers were reviewing drainage issues, including the performance of the pumps in the underpasses.

The scene of the crashImage source, Eddie Mitchell
Image caption,

Tyler's family said he crossed the road on 25 November as a subway beneath was flooded

He added: "We need to have a contingency about alternative crossing points, particularly for children and young people."

He told the meeting that some of the underpasses had what he called "an automatic pump reaction", which meant that if they did flood, a pump was triggered to remove the water.

But he confirmed that excessive rainfall - about 30cm in November compared to the average of 9cm - had put pressure on the system.

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