asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take action to prevent heavy lorries from using the section of the A259 at the Rottingdean village intersection on the road between Brighton and Newhaven.

The A259 at this point is a principal road for which East Sussex county council is the highway authority. It has extensive powers to keep lorries away from roads which are not suitable for them, but the county council must decide whether to use those powers.

I thank my hon. Friend for her reply. Is she aware that last month a lorry coming down the hill into Rottingdean crashed into nine cars in a public car park and that it was only a miracle that there was not human slaughter on a big scale? Will she urge the county council to take action rapidly?

Yes, I am aware of the serious accident in June. I remind my hon. Friend that heavy goods vehicles, which sometimes come down that road far too fast, are signposted in Newhaven to take the A26 trunk road.