Titnore Lane stays shut until early in the week of 12 October, then one lane under lights, Southern Water says. Long Furlong should reopen by 17 October.

Titnore Lane is closed after a water main split on Saturday 10 October, and Southern Water does not expect to reopen any of it before early in the week of 12 October. It is the second burst main in ten days to close a road to the west of the town. The A280 Long Furlong, closed since 2 October, is now not due back until the weekend of 17 October.

Both closures come from Southern Water’s own incident updates, which the company publishes on its works and issues map. We have taken the dates and the wording from there. Neither notice says exactly which stretch of each road is coned off, and we could not confirm that from a first-party source on Sunday.

Updated 11 October, 10:05: Southern Water says extra signs and staff are going in at both roads because drivers are going round the cones and through Patching.

Titnore Lane: a “significant split” on the main

Titnore Lane runs north from the A259 Littlehampton Road at Goring to the A27, and it forms the boundary between Worthing borough and Arun district. Southern Water logged the burst there on Saturday 10 October. Its first notice said a team was on site investigating and that a temporary road closure was in place while the repair went on.

By 5.15pm on Saturday the picture was clearer. The repair team had found “a significant split on the main”. Excavation was under way, to be followed by temporary reinstatement, debris removal and road cleaning.

The company’s timetable is:

  • the lane stays fully closed until early in the week of 12 October
  • it then hopes to reopen one lane, controlled by two-way temporary traffic lights
  • no date has been given for the lane to reopen fully

Southern Water said the closure “ensures that the work can be carried out safely and as quickly as possible”, and apologised to road users and residents.

On supply, the first notice said the company aimed to restore fresh water “as soon as possible”. It did not say how many homes were affected. Anyone whose water comes back cloudy or at low pressure is told that this is normal after an interruption and temporary.

Long Furlong: the repair that kept growing

The A280 Long Furlong is the road between the A27 at the Clapham interchange and the A24 at the Findon roundabout. It is in Arun district, about five miles north-west of Worthing town centre, and it is the link between the A27 west of the town and the A24 at Findon. It has been closed in both directions since 2 October.

Southern Water’s updates show why the closure has lengthened three times:

  • 1 October: the burst is logged. Water supplies are kept going by rerouting the network, and nobody loses supply.
  • 2 October, 3.15am: the road is shut in both directions near Clapham so the repair can be done.
  • 3 October: a new section of pipe goes in overnight. The company expects to finish early the following week.
  • 4 October: a leaking air valve is found on the repaired section, which has to be isolated and dug out. The closure is extended to mid or late that week.
  • 6 October: the valve is replaced. “Access for Residents Only” signs are put on the A27 approach to Arundel Road westbound, because commuters are cutting through Patching and Clapham, including along France Lane.
  • 8 October, 6.25pm: the burst turns out to have damaged the road, footway, verge and a highways drain. Southern Water agrees with West Sussex Highways to repair the drain itself, although it is not normally its asset. Repairs are to run until Sunday 11 October, with the final road reinstatement after that.

The company is now “aiming to reopen Long Furlong for the weekend of 17th October, subject to no further unexpected issues being identified during the remaining works”.

Timeline of the Long Furlong and Titnore Lane burst water mains, 1 to 18 October 2026: Long Furlong burst 1 October and closed 2 October, pipe replaced 3 October, air valve found 4 October and replaced 6 October, drain damage found 8 October with reopening put back to the weekend of 17 October; Titnore Lane burst 10 October with one lane due to reopen in the week of 12 October; extra signs at both roads from 11 October to keep traffic out of Patching
How the two closures have run, from Southern Water's incident updates. Graphic by The Worthing Express.
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Sunday’s update: stay out of Patching

At 10.05am on Sunday 11 October Southern Water said it was changing the closures at both roads. Drivers had been “ignoring the road closure signs and driving around the cones onto Long Furlong, and through the village of Patching”.

The company’s words: the village “cannot accommodate high volumes of through traffic”, and the result has been “congestion, damage to verges and safety concerns”. It is installing additional signs at the ends of Long Furlong and Titnore Lane and putting staff on site “to help ensure motorists follow the signed diversion route”. The ask is plain: use the official diversion, and avoid Patching unless you are visiting it.

The signed diversion for Long Furlong starts at the Clapham interchange roundabout and follows the A27, according to the 4 October update. Residents of the closed stretch can still reach their homes.

What it means for you

  • If you use Titnore Lane between Goring and the A27, it is closed until early in the week of 12 October at the soonest. After that expect one lane and temporary lights, so allow extra time at school-run and commuting hours.
  • If you use Long Furlong to reach the A24 and Findon, it is closed until about 17 October. Follow the A27 diversion from the Clapham interchange rather than cutting through Patching or along France Lane.
  • If you are heading west to Arundel late at night between Monday 12 and Wednesday 14 October, the A27 is also shut between Crossbush and Fontwell from 8pm to 6am. Our roadworks and travel page has the full list for the week.
  • If your water is discoloured or weak after the Titnore Lane repair, Southern Water says to expect that for a short while. If it does not clear, report it through the company’s works or issues page.
  • If you live near either road, the company’s updates are the place to check, and we will update this story when the lane reopens.

Neither notice mentions bus services. The council’s own travel news page had nothing on either closure when we checked on Sunday.

Sources