Convoy arrives at Ninfield substation a day late after delays Brighton News

However, an oil spill and difficulty getting through the port gates delayed the convoy by nearly three hours.

Just as the convoy was due to arrive, it parked for the night near the Southerham roundabout in Lewes.

Residents of Polegate and Little Common took to the streets to greet the convoy as it passed through their streets.

One person commented on Twitter that the crowds at Polegate were reminiscent of a ‘royal visit’ driving through the city, as people lined the streets as the convoy approached.

Crowds gathered in the streets of Polegate as the convoy crossed the high street

However, the vehicles delivering the “abnormal load” faced one final challenge as they approached the substation – a van parked in the area where the convoy was to turn.

We are finally a few meters from the destination of this double convoy of abnormal loads.

Nothing can go wrong now!

Oh. Outside the vehicle left parked in the area, trucks must turn around.

Hmmm 🤔 pic.twitter.com/E2tN5AZJqQ

—Peter Blake (@Blakeypj78) March 20, 2022

The delivery led to travel chaos for some motorists, with part of the A27 closed to allow special fittings to be fitted to help equipment safely cross the River Ouse.

A diversion along the A270, A259 and A26 between Brighton and Newhaven has been put in place, but that hasn’t stopped some motorists from blocking roads in and around Lewes to avoid the closure.

The 41-mile course the convoy took this weekend

Other road users were reduced to crawling along the A27 as the convoy passed through Sussex, or were temporarily restrained by police as they escorted equipment safely through the county.

Two chargers each carried equipment, which stretched more than 70 meters in length, described by the National Grid as ‘crucial’ to the energy market and providing power to thousands of homes and businesses throughout the region.