Archive

  • Nominations for most cluttered street

    The new Tesco store in Hove has a spacious and uncluttered frontage on to Church Road. There is just one sign, pointing at the shop and reading "Superstore" (the kind of sign that if you can read it, you surely don't need it). Can someone from Tesco explain

  • It's all two much

    Regarding the demise of Brighton's public toilets, I wrote to The Argus about 12 years ago on the same subject. I suggested (with tongue in cheek) it might be a good idea to install toilets in some buses. As things have only got worse since then, I'm

  • Firm celebrates domain victory

    A media firm has warned cyber-squatters to beware after winning a fight over a domain name. Brighton-based Wired Sussex Ltd receives 250,000 hits a month on its web site www.wiredsussex.com, which offers a business directory, job vacancies and a free

  • Gatwick fined for killing fish

    Gatwick airport has been fined £30,000 for polluting a river, killing more than 5,000 fish. They died when detergent used to clear rubber off the runway was mistakenly diverted into the River Mole. The alarm was raised after a dog walker discovered more

  • Bus drivers in pay gridlock

    Bus drivers and their operating company are no nearer resolving a dispute after a second one-day strike. Stagecoach drivers in Worthing joined the picket lines on Monday after talks at the arbitration service ACAS broke down. More stoppages are planned

  • Surgeon loses fight for career

    A doctor who operated on patients while infected with hepatitis B has failed in a bid to salvage his career. Giridhar Katti, who worked at Eastbourne District General Hospital in 2001, was suspended by the General Medical Council (GMC) in May for failing

  • Stupid scenario

    I find the continual parroting of the word "scenario" ridiculous. It's a typical Americanism - a word more fitting to Glyndebourne theatre than world politics. The correct expression is "situation". I find words such as "gobsmacked" stupid. More appropriate

  • Still hope for Olympic dream

    Sussex could still play host to international competitors if Britain wins the 2012 Olympic bid, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has said. There was widespread disappointment last month when none of the competition venues named was in the county. However

  • How refreshing

    I was talking to a young girl at our church and telling her how pleased I was that she did not ignore the letter H. I told her and her grandmother a story. A boy was at the breakfast table and asked his mother: "Pass me the bu--er." She replied: "Say

  • Helping hand

    Regarding Rebecca Gray's agony aunt column in The Argus last Friday, I thought I would write with information which might help the person who wanted to do a course at college but had child-minding problems. Regarding the financial situation, there is

  • Debt to society

    Before even considering applying top-up fees to students' grants, Tony Blair should let us know what percentage of existing student loans are paid back in full. My guess is "not a lot". If this is the case, top-up fees can only add to this problem, along

  • FA Trophy: Hednesford 1 Worthing 1

    Worthing's bid to reach the last 16 for the first time in 19 years is still alive after they drew at Hednesford in a fourth round tie last night. Sam Francis took his goal tally to 26 with a 44th-minute equaliser as Rebels came from behind to force a

  • Bid to cut summer death toll

    The number of swimmers who drown off the coast of Sussex each summer has more than tripled since 2000. Figures produced by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) show an alarming rise in the number of people being washed out to sea.

  • Basketball: Bears 96 Newcastle 93

    Stand-in coach Randy Duck presided over a monumental Brighton Bears comeback last night, then admitted: "I hate this job." Bears were 23 points down after almost 30 pitiful minutes against Newcastle Eagles at the Brighton Centre. They responded in stunning

  • Tiny treasures carved from a Victorian giant

    If the West Pier does finally collapse, it will live on in a series of tiny treasures carved from the Victorian monument. Paul and Jill Syred have created a range of doll's house furnishings from the flotsam. The timber they are crafted from is mostly

  • How Adolf Hitler fell in love with Sussex orphan

    Adolf Hitler almost married a Sussex orphan who adored him to her dying day, historians have claimed. Hastings-born Winifred Wagner helped the German dictator write his infamous book Mein Kampf, a documentary will show next week. It has also been suggested

  • Hard to swallow cost of a nanny

    Rising demand is making the cost of hiring a nanny at an affordable proice increasingly difficult. According to latest figures there are at least 100,000 nannies in Britain, an increase which reflects the fact more mums are working full or part-time.

  • Still hope for Olympic dream

    Sussex could still play host to international competitors if Britain wins the 2012 Olympic bid, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has said. There was widespread disappointment last month when none of the competition venues named was in the county. However

  • Bus drivers in pay gridlock

    Bus drivers and their operating company are no nearer resolving a dispute after a second one-day strike. Stagecoach drivers in Worthing joined the picket lines on Monday after talks at the arbitration service ACAS broke down. More stoppages are planned

  • Open-air stage for seafront

    A 24-hour piazza for stage shows and musicians has been unveiled as the centrepiece of a huge seafront development. Brighton and Hove City Council has discussed the mini-arena, the size of three tennis courts, with developer Karis/ING and its architects

  • Tesco in dock over missing windows

    Supermarket giant Tesco faces legal action after antique window frames apparently went missing from its latest store. Brighton and Hove City Council is considering issuing an enforcement notice against the company after modern windows were installed in

  • Tesco in dock over missing windows

    Supermarket giant Tesco faces legal action after antique window frames apparently went missing from its latest store. Brighton and Hove City Council is considering issuing an enforcement notice against the company after modern windows were installed in

  • February 3: Albion miss out on Zamora swap deal

    Albion chairman Dick Knight today admitted the Seagulls are unlikely to profit further from Bobby Zamora's move to West Ham. Zamora joined the Hammers from Tottenham yesterday as part of the deal which took Jermain Defoe from Upton Park to Spurs for £7

  • I'm Her Boyfriend...Get Me Out There!

    Jordan's boyfriend Scott Sullivan faces a chilly reception after jetting off to sunny Australia in a bid to salvage their relationship. Scott, whose millionaire parents live near Steyning, booked the last-minute flight yesterday after watching footage

  • Rise of the suburban dope ings

    Cannabis plantations are springing up in suburban basements following the softening of drug laws. More than 250 homes in Brighton and Hove are estimated to have underground cellars packed with the plant. Small syndicates are making up to £10,000 every

  • Jane killer gets life

    Guitarist Graham Coutts was this afternoon found guilty of the murder of Brighton special needs teacher Jane Longhurst. The part-time salesman faces at least 30 years in prison after a jury of five women and seven men at Lewes Crown Court reached a unanimous

  • Disabled man's anger at ticket blunder

    A disabled man missed a show at the Brighton Centre because of a ticket blunder. Lee Colbran, who uses a wheelchair, ordered a ticket months in advance to sit with his family in the disabled section for the Bear In The Big Blue House show. However, when

  • Floreat Philistinia

    I understand the city council is seeking a new "brand" for Brighton and Hove. I wonder if any of our civic officials have thought of adapting the motto of the former Borough of Hove. For a city which is vandalising its conservation areas with skips, closing

  • Out of touch

    I was invited to my daughter's for dinner. Good, I thought, we can have a good chat when the washing-up is done. But she had vanished. I didn't know there had been an unexpected new addition to the family - a computer! There she was, emailing away, completely

  • Stupid scenario

    I find the continual parroting of the word "scenario" ridiculous. It's a typical Americanism - a word more fitting to Glyndebourne theatre than world politics. The correct expression is "situation". I find words such as "gobsmacked" stupid. More appropriate

  • Still hope for Olympic dream

    Sussex could still play host to international competitors if Britain wins the 2012 Olympic bid, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has said. There was widespread disappointment last month when none of the competition venues named was in the county. However

  • How refreshing

    I was talking to a young girl at our church and telling her how pleased I was that she did not ignore the letter H. I told her and her grandmother a story. A boy was at the breakfast table and asked his mother: "Pass me the bu--er." She replied: "Say

  • Celebrate our diversity

    What is the character of the North Laine in Brighton? Councillor Bob Carden says that in rejecting the design for Acacia's circular shop window in Gloucester Road, "we are not trying to destroy the special character of the North Laine" (Letters, February

  • They're back!

    After a few weeks of wonderful peace and ample parking, my road has returned to its usual level of unacceptable stress. There's overloud so-called music from cars and house windows, being woken up by slamming car or taxi doors and screaming at 3am on

  • Open-air stage for seafront

    A 24-hour piazza for stage shows and musicians has been unveiled as the centrepiece of a huge seafront development. Brighton and Hove City Council has discussed the mini-arena, the size of three tennis courts, with developer Karis/ING and its architects

  • Non-League: Round-Up

    Three Bridges moved into the semi-finals of the Sussex RUR Cup with an impressive 2-1 win at Arundel. Goals from Damian Webber (26 minutes) and Simon Funnell (84) secured a last four spot against Chichester. Miles Scerri hit a late consolation for the

  • Couple's second child tragedy

    A couple are mourning the loss of their second child within six months. Three-year-old Lucy Dunford was airlifted 13 miles to hospital after being found unconscious in her bedroom at the family's end-of-terrace house. Despite attempts to revive her, doctors

  • Do we really need millions of graduates?

    With the continuing debate on financing universities through top-up fees there is one thing that needs explaining - perhaps someone can help? The Government has declared its aim is for 50 per cent of school-leavers to attend a university. If this target

  • Sussex Cup: Crawley 2 Bognor 1

    Joff Vansittart showed Crawley what they had been missing last night by coming off the bench to book a place in the Sussex Senior Cup quarter-finals. The experienced striker scored both goals, the second in the last minute, as the holders came from behind

  • Bid to cut summer death toll

    The number of swimmers who drown off the coast of Sussex each summer has more than tripled since 2000. Figures produced by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) show an alarming rise in the number of people being washed out to sea.

  • Basketball: Bears 96 Newcastle 93

    Stand-in coach Randy Duck presided over a monumental Brighton Bears comeback last night, then admitted: "I hate this job." Bears were 23 points down after almost 30 pitiful minutes against Newcastle Eagles at the Brighton Centre. They responded in stunning

  • Still hope for Olympic dream

    Sussex could still play host to international competitors if Britain wins the 2012 Olympic bid, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has said. There was widespread disappointment last month when none of the competition venues named was in the county. However

  • Bus drivers in pay gridlock

    Bus drivers and their operating company are no nearer resolving a dispute after a second one-day strike. Stagecoach drivers in Worthing joined the picket lines on Monday after talks at the arbitration service ACAS broke down. More stoppages are planned

  • Firm celebrates domain victory

    A media firm has warned cyber-squatters to beware after winning a fight over a domain name. Brighton-based Wired Sussex Ltd receives 250,000 hits a month on its web site www.wiredsussex.com, which offers a business directory, job vacancies and a free

  • Tesco in dock over missing windows

    Supermarket giant Tesco faces legal action after antique window frames apparently went missing from its latest store. Brighton and Hove City Council is considering issuing an enforcement notice against the company after modern windows were installed in

  • Tesco in dock over missing windows

    Supermarket giant Tesco faces legal action after antique window frames apparently went missing from its latest store. Brighton and Hove City Council is considering issuing an enforcement notice against the company after modern windows were installed in

  • Head slams 'hypocrite' middle classes

    The headteacher of Brighton College has described middle-class parents who move house to be near good schools as "the worst moral hypocrites". Dr Anthony Seldon made the attack in a speech explaining why he believes all parents should be forced to pay

  • Jane killer gets life

    Guitarist Graham Coutts was this afternoon found guilty of the murder of Brighton special needs teacher Jane Longhurst. The part-time salesman faces at least 30 years in prison after a jury of five women and seven men at Lewes Crown Court reached a unanimous

  • 4,200 miles for a dance

    Former world champion American ballroom dancer Rex Jones is travelling across the globe to dance with a partner almost half his age. Rex, 32, lives in Atlanta, Georgia - 4,200 miles from 18-year-old Stacey Poulter in Peacehaven. He spotted Stacey's potential

  • Disabled man's anger at ticket blunder

    A disabled man missed a show at the Brighton Centre because of a ticket blunder. Lee Colbran, who uses a wheelchair, ordered a ticket months in advance to sit with his family in the disabled section for the Bear In The Big Blue House show. However, when

  • Floreat Philistinia

    I understand the city council is seeking a new "brand" for Brighton and Hove. I wonder if any of our civic officials have thought of adapting the motto of the former Borough of Hove. For a city which is vandalising its conservation areas with skips, closing

  • Peace of mind

    I enjoyed reading Lynn Daly's column about having a silent day (The Argus, February 2). I can relate to it because, working from home, I don't get the normal amount of human contact as people who leave their houses to go to work. I don't get lonely or

  • Out of touch

    I was invited to my daughter's for dinner. Good, I thought, we can have a good chat when the washing-up is done. But she had vanished. I didn't know there had been an unexpected new addition to the family - a computer! There she was, emailing away, completely

  • Still hope for Olympic dream

    Sussex could still play host to international competitors if Britain wins the 2012 Olympic bid, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has said. There was widespread disappointment last month when none of the competition venues named was in the county. However

  • Celebrate our diversity

    What is the character of the North Laine in Brighton? Councillor Bob Carden says that in rejecting the design for Acacia's circular shop window in Gloucester Road, "we are not trying to destroy the special character of the North Laine" (Letters, February

  • They're back!

    After a few weeks of wonderful peace and ample parking, my road has returned to its usual level of unacceptable stress. There's overloud so-called music from cars and house windows, being woken up by slamming car or taxi doors and screaming at 3am on

  • Open-air stage for seafront

    A 24-hour piazza for stage shows and musicians has been unveiled as the centrepiece of a huge seafront development. Brighton and Hove City Council has discussed the mini-arena, the size of three tennis courts, with developer Karis/ING and its architects

  • Duty to debate

    Professor Alasdair Smith says Brighton and Hove City Council should not be commenting on education because it has no responsibility (The Argus, January 29). This is a surprising view coming from a vice-chancellor who is presumably committed to democracy

  • Non-League: Round-Up

    Three Bridges moved into the semi-finals of the Sussex RUR Cup with an impressive 2-1 win at Arundel. Goals from Damian Webber (26 minutes) and Simon Funnell (84) secured a last four spot against Chichester. Miles Scerri hit a late consolation for the

  • Baffled by the Bill

    I'm baffled that Jo Dillon is baffled by my position on the Higher Education Bill (The Argus, January 29). She should do more research. The Argus reported my views at length on December 4, 2003, and again on the front page on January 28. She fails to

  • Do we really need millions of graduates?

    With the continuing debate on financing universities through top-up fees there is one thing that needs explaining - perhaps someone can help? The Government has declared its aim is for 50 per cent of school-leavers to attend a university. If this target

  • Sussex Cup: Crawley 2 Bognor 1

    Joff Vansittart showed Crawley what they had been missing last night by coming off the bench to book a place in the Sussex Senior Cup quarter-finals. The experienced striker scored both goals, the second in the last minute, as the holders came from behind

  • Rookie keeper urged to stay

    Albion manager Mark McGhee today urged goalkeeping prospect Richard Martin to stick with the Seagulls, rather than becoming a back number at Liverpool. McGhee believes the 16-year-old from Burgess Hill could soon be in first team contention if he accepts

  • Starlings swap piers

    Thousands of starlings have transferred their allegiance from one pier to another. Independent consultants carried out a count of the birds last week in Brighton and Hove. It was one of the conditions of planning permission granted to the Brighton West

  • First homes break £100k barrier

    The average price of a first home has broken through the £100,000 barrier, according to the Halifax. First-time buyers have seen prices rise 22.6% in the past year, from £82,968 to £101,747, the bank said. The Halifax also announced that house prices

  • Firm celebrates domain victory

    A media firm has warned cyber-squatters to beware after winning a fight over a domain name. Brighton-based Wired Sussex Ltd receives 250,000 hits a month on its web site www.wiredsussex.com, which offers a business directory, job vacancies and a free

  • Gatwick fined for killing fish

    Gatwick airport has been fined £30,000 for polluting a river, killing more than 5,000 fish. They died when detergent used to clear rubber off the runway was mistakenly diverted into the River Mole. The alarm was raised after a dog walker discovered more

  • Gatwick fined for killing fish

    Gatwick airport has been fined £30,000 for polluting a river, killing more than 5,000 fish. They died when detergent used to clear rubber off the runway was mistakenly diverted into the River Mole. The alarm was raised after a dog walker discovered more

  • February 4: Rookie keeper urged to stay

    Albion manager Mark McGhee today urged goalkeeping prospect Richard Martin to stick with the Seagulls, rather than becoming a back number at Liverpool. McGhee believes the 16-year-old from Burgess Hill could soon be in first team contention if he accepts

  • New rail stock less reliable

    Expensive new rolling stock is breaking down more often than old slam-door trains run by South Central, a report reveals today. The National Audit Office said that by September last year the new trains were travelling an average of 19,000 miles before

  • Head slams 'hypocrite' middle classes

    The headteacher of Brighton College has described middle-class parents who move house to be near good schools as "the worst moral hypocrites". Dr Anthony Seldon made the attack in a speech explaining why he believes all parents should be forced to pay

  • How Reg's radio mic has helped the stars

    Madonna and Britney Spears' concerts just wouldn't be the same without them. Thanks to hands-free radio microphones, the pop divas can carry on singing while they perform high-energy dance routines. And for that, they can thank a pioneering Brighton man

  • 4,200 miles for a dance

    Former world champion American ballroom dancer Rex Jones is travelling across the globe to dance with a partner almost half his age. Rex, 32, lives in Atlanta, Georgia - 4,200 miles from 18-year-old Stacey Poulter in Peacehaven. He spotted Stacey's potential

  • Nominations for most cluttered street

    The new Tesco store in Hove has a spacious and uncluttered frontage on to Church Road. There is just one sign, pointing at the shop and reading "Superstore" (the kind of sign that if you can read it, you surely don't need it). Can someone from Tesco explain

  • It's all two much

    Regarding the demise of Brighton's public toilets, I wrote to The Argus about 12 years ago on the same subject. I suggested (with tongue in cheek) it might be a good idea to install toilets in some buses. As things have only got worse since then, I'm

  • Peace of mind

    I enjoyed reading Lynn Daly's column about having a silent day (The Argus, February 2). I can relate to it because, working from home, I don't get the normal amount of human contact as people who leave their houses to go to work. I don't get lonely or

  • Firm celebrates domain victory

    A media firm has warned cyber-squatters to beware after winning a fight over a domain name. Brighton-based Wired Sussex Ltd receives 250,000 hits a month on its web site www.wiredsussex.com, which offers a business directory, job vacancies and a free

  • Helping hand

    Regarding Rebecca Gray's agony aunt column in The Argus last Friday, I thought I would write with information which might help the person who wanted to do a course at college but had child-minding problems. Regarding the financial situation, there is

  • Debt to society

    Before even considering applying top-up fees to students' grants, Tony Blair should let us know what percentage of existing student loans are paid back in full. My guess is "not a lot". If this is the case, top-up fees can only add to this problem, along

  • Duty to debate

    Professor Alasdair Smith says Brighton and Hove City Council should not be commenting on education because it has no responsibility (The Argus, January 29). This is a surprising view coming from a vice-chancellor who is presumably committed to democracy

  • Baffled by the Bill

    I'm baffled that Jo Dillon is baffled by my position on the Higher Education Bill (The Argus, January 29). She should do more research. The Argus reported my views at length on December 4, 2003, and again on the front page on January 28. She fails to

  • FA Trophy: Hednesford 1 Worthing 1

    Worthing's bid to reach the last 16 for the first time in 19 years is still alive after they drew at Hednesford in a fourth round tie last night. Sam Francis took his goal tally to 26 with a 44th-minute equaliser as Rebels came from behind to force a

  • Tiny treasures carved from a Victorian giant

    If the West Pier does finally collapse, it will live on in a series of tiny treasures carved from the Victorian monument. Paul and Jill Syred have created a range of doll's house furnishings from the flotsam. The timber they are crafted from is mostly

  • Rookie keeper urged to stay

    Albion manager Mark McGhee today urged goalkeeping prospect Richard Martin to stick with the Seagulls, rather than becoming a back number at Liverpool. McGhee believes the 16-year-old from Burgess Hill could soon be in first team contention if he accepts

  • Starlings swap piers

    Thousands of starlings have transferred their allegiance from one pier to another. Independent consultants carried out a count of the birds last week in Brighton and Hove. It was one of the conditions of planning permission granted to the Brighton West

  • How Adolf Hitler fell in love with Sussex orphan

    Adolf Hitler almost married a Sussex orphan who adored him to her dying day, historians have claimed. Hastings-born Winifred Wagner helped the German dictator write his infamous book Mein Kampf, a documentary will show next week. It has also been suggested

  • First homes break £100k barrier

    The average price of a first home has broken through the £100,000 barrier, according to the Halifax. First-time buyers have seen prices rise 22.6% in the past year, from £82,968 to £101,747, the bank said. The Halifax also announced that house prices

  • Hard to swallow cost of a nanny

    Rising demand is making the cost of hiring a nanny at an affordable proice increasingly difficult. According to latest figures there are at least 100,000 nannies in Britain, an increase which reflects the fact more mums are working full or part-time.

  • Open-air stage for seafront

    A 24-hour piazza for stage shows and musicians has been unveiled as the centrepiece of a huge seafront development. Brighton and Hove City Council has discussed the mini-arena, the size of three tennis courts, with developer Karis/ING and its architects

  • Gatwick fined for killing fish

    Gatwick airport has been fined £30,000 for polluting a river, killing more than 5,000 fish. They died when detergent used to clear rubber off the runway was mistakenly diverted into the River Mole. The alarm was raised after a dog walker discovered more

  • Gatwick fined for killing fish

    Gatwick airport has been fined £30,000 for polluting a river, killing more than 5,000 fish. They died when detergent used to clear rubber off the runway was mistakenly diverted into the River Mole. The alarm was raised after a dog walker discovered more

  • February 4: Rookie keeper urged to stay

    Albion manager Mark McGhee today urged goalkeeping prospect Richard Martin to stick with the Seagulls, rather than becoming a back number at Liverpool. McGhee believes the 16-year-old from Burgess Hill could soon be in first team contention if he accepts

  • February 3: Albion miss out on Zamora swap deal

    Albion chairman Dick Knight today admitted the Seagulls are unlikely to profit further from Bobby Zamora's move to West Ham. Zamora joined the Hammers from Tottenham yesterday as part of the deal which took Jermain Defoe from Upton Park to Spurs for £7

  • New rail stock less reliable

    Expensive new rolling stock is breaking down more often than old slam-door trains run by South Central, a report reveals today. The National Audit Office said that by September last year the new trains were travelling an average of 19,000 miles before

  • I'm Her Boyfriend...Get Me Out There!

    Jordan's boyfriend Scott Sullivan faces a chilly reception after jetting off to sunny Australia in a bid to salvage their relationship. Scott, whose millionaire parents live near Steyning, booked the last-minute flight yesterday after watching footage

  • Rise of the suburban dope ings

    Cannabis plantations are springing up in suburban basements following the softening of drug laws. More than 250 homes in Brighton and Hove are estimated to have underground cellars packed with the plant. Small syndicates are making up to £10,000 every

  • How Reg's radio mic has helped the stars

    Madonna and Britney Spears' concerts just wouldn't be the same without them. Thanks to hands-free radio microphones, the pop divas can carry on singing while they perform high-energy dance routines. And for that, they can thank a pioneering Brighton man