Beware more deer on roads around Uckfield this spring

Drivers are being asked to become ‘deer aware’ this spring.

The plea comes from East Sussex Council and coincides with the time of year when deer are more likely to be running across roads because food is scarce and they need to go further to look for it.

This, combined with an explosion in the deer population in recent years, has lead to an increase in the number of deer and vehicle collisions.

Last year in East Sussex there were more than 450 traffic collisions involving deer, with more than half of these taking place in the Ashdown Forest area.

The wider Uckfield area has also seen many crashes, including a fatality in the winter of 2009 at Easons Green.

Drivers should also be aware that deer are now seen in more urban areas of the town, including the Manor Park estate and Framfield Road.

The county council says drivers, when approaching a deer warning sign, drivers should:

Slow down
Be prepared to stop
Remember, more deer may follow the first one you see
If you do stop, use your hazard warning lights
Do not approach an injured deer - it could be dangerous.

Call Sussex Police on 0845 60 70 999.

Councillor Matthew Lock, Lead Member for Transport and Environment said, “This time of year deer are much more likely to be found crossing the road and so drivers really do need to take extra care, especially around warning signs.

"We want to make sure drivers, walkers and cyclists are as safe as possible, and we want to keep the suffering of injured animals to an absolute minimum.

"The best way to do that is to drive carefully and avoid collisions happening in the first place.”

* There was an accident involving a deer on the road between Uckfield and Crowborough early this morning (Tuesday, March 22, 2011).