Ben Roberts still has a future with Albion, providing he can prove his fitness. Manager Mark McGhee today revealed the Seagulls' former No.1 will be given the opportunity to earn a new contract and renew his battle for supremacy with Michel Kuipers. Roberts
Online training company Epic Group announced an 8.7 per cent increase in half-year profits to £890,000 but said it was unlikely to meet its full-year profits forecast. Turnover for the six-month period up to November 30 was £3.87 million, an increase
Most workers believe their colleagues sometimes skip work when they are not really sick, according to a report. Half of them suspect ten per cent of sick days are not genuine, a survey of 1,500 people by Aon Consulting showed. Almost one in ten of those
A £1.75 million grant will be used to help small employers in West Sussex. The money was awarded to West Sussex County Council by the European Social Fund Equal programme. It will be used to set up a new project called Sussex Promoting Equality and Diversity
Companies in Sussex have started 2005 on a positive note with bumper order books, according to a report. About 43 per cent of firms reported an upsurge in orders in the last half of 2004 and expect this to continue into 2005, the Business in Britain survey
The owners of designer fashion label Simultane are hoping to take Paris by storm when they exhibit their clothes in the French capital next month. One of Brighton's trendiest fashion houses has been chosen to take part in the prestigious Tranoi Exhibition
Doug Flynn, chief executive of media group Aegis, has been offered almost £4 million to take the helm at the troubled pest control conglomerate Rentokil Initial. His appointment ends the East Grinstead group's six-month search for a new chief executive
A magazine run by residents from a deprived area is to close after a Government-funded regeneration company retracted its investment. Twelve members of staff, who have worked on the Phoenix magazine for almost seven years, will be jobless from the end
The Newhaven to Dieppe ferry service will be out of action for two weeks after the only vessel operating the route smashed into a French harbour wall. Operator Transmanche is searching for another freight and passenger vessel that can be switched to the
A babysitter who sexually abused a four-year-old girl has been jailed for eight years. David Spangle told the child not to tell her parents what he was doing to her during the repeated attacks. The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, kept the
A retired teacher who lost his wife to cancer has been banned from putting his choice of headstone in the memorial garden where he buried her ashes. John Boyers, of Springwood Road, Heathfield, says his family are unable to come to terms with their loss
A teenage tearaway has become the victim of a hate campaign featuring posters of him bearing the words: "Walking Dead Boy". Zak Marsden, 16, of Portland Road, Hove, who spoke of the campaign for the first time today, remains unsure of who targeted him
Campaigners calling for violently homophobic music to be banned from shops have welcomed a deal struck between artists and gay rights organisations. However, they say more work needs to be done to encourage major retailers such as HMV and Virgin to take
It may be okay for the Government to say council tax is based on 1991 property values and doesn't represent the property values of 2005 (The Argus, February 3) but will it raise Stamp Duty from the Nineties level of £60,000 to a realistic 2005 level?
For any readers planning to join next Saturday's "Ramblette" (Letters, January 21), there will be a change in the planned route. Very muddy conditions and a failure to obtain permission for a short-cut across private land would have turned the originally-planned
The threat of a firefighters' strike loomed today amid fears cuts in the service would put lives in danger. The Fire Brigades' Union (FBU) announced it was prepared to ballot for industrial action following East Sussex Fire Authority's decision to cut
I am a kidney transplant patient, having been fortunate enough to receive a kidney from my lovely wife five years ago. Yesterday, I drove the 18 miles to the Royal Sussex County Hospital for my twice-yearly check-up. All three car parks were full and
They were supposed to be the wins which kick-started a remarkable push for promotion. Instead, Lewes might just need the results from their flying start to the season as insurance against an immediate drop back to London Three South East. Saturday's 13
Brighton Bears new boy Cheyne Gadson today set his sights on the British League title and a crack at the NBA. The 24-year-old guard from New Jersey was due for his second training session with Bears this morning after being called in at short notice to
Adam Trimingham's article on the South Downs (The Argus, February 2) covered some of the future threats to the South Downs very well. However, he missed one huge threat which also appears to have passed by many other people. That is the draft South East
Lee Charles wants to help Worthing in their bid for promotion to Conference south. The former England semi-pro international makes his debut in attack for the Rebels at home to Eastleigh in a crunch premier division clash tonight. Charles netted the winner
A scheme set up to help give elderly and vulnerable people confidence when choosing a trader is growing fast. More than 100 businesses have applied to gain approved trader status from East Sussex County Council since its launch last September. So far
A fast-ferry company will continue to run a cross-Channel service after deciding not to sell the business. Hoverspeed plans to operate the fast service between Newhaven and Dieppe from March 17. The service would run until mid-September, making the 67
Agitate! Educate! Organise! A call for disaffected misfits everywhere to unite and mobilise against the tyranny of the masses? Well not exactly, it's a planned cultural night at The Victoria and Albert Museum featuring a guest performance from new indie
Two rival Sussex firms which specialise in new media have merged. The union of Getfrank and Cognitive Applications creates arguably the leading digital design company in Brighton and Hove. In a statement, the companies said the deal would "significantly
Small business owners have called for a return to technical colleges after complaining schools did not place enough emphasis on practical skills. A survey of 350 business leaders showed almost half believed schools were too concerned with meeting targets
Businesses in Brighton and Hove gave charities the equivalent of £125,000 last year through employee volunteering schemes and free consultancy work. According to the Brighton and Hove Business Community Partnership (BCP), 2004 was a record year for businesses
A company which makes and exports hospital equipment used to fight cancer has reported another impressive set of results. Varian Medical Systems said machine sales in the three months to December 31, 2004, were up 12 per cent on last year to £159 million
Sussex internet firm Mistral has taken a step forward in its quest to become the UK's premier business service provider with the purchase of three rival firms. This week the Brighton-based company completed its third acquisition of the month with the
The pavement shook, the windows rattled and the crowds yelled as Brighton experienced a mini earthquake in the shape of 24-year-old philosophy graduate Myles MacInnes. Anyone who happened to be walking past Concorde 2 and still claims not to have heard
Waltzing Matilda has been sung, whistled and hummed the world over and has long been regarded as Australia's unofficial national anthem. I was pleased the other day to come across a recording of Waltzing Matilda by Rolf Harris in which he explains the
The work of police dogs in the force is invaluable in the course of everyday police work and all too often goes unnoticed. It is therefore good to read that a police dog who tracked a thief and found him hiding more than two miles away has been honoured
I believe Cyril Wall (Letters, February 2) is being too pessimistic when he reflects on the state of our monarchy. I understand his pessisimism but wonder why he should say monarchistic fervour is "drifting towards the 50 per cent mark"? Opinion polls
A garage boss told how he and a trainee mechanic were engulfed in a wall of fire after an explosion, a court heard. Apprentice Lewis Murphy was severely burned in the blast at the Anchor Garage, Peacehaven, and died four days later from his injuries.
Why has no attempt been made to salvage the only remaining kiosk on the structure of what remains of the old West Pier. The little kiosk, for all to see, stands perilously on the edge of the rusting structure just waiting to be rescued. I shall never
In response to Paul Davey and Henry Law (Letters, January 29 and February 2), articulated "bendy" buses are not hated in London. With the exception of a few traditionalists, bendy buses have proved very popular with passengers. They have about 50 seats
Is Hove going to become the high-rise capital of the south? Yet another site has been earmarked for a 13-storey high-rise development which is totally out of keeping with the area. The old Caffyns site, opposite Hove Lagoon, may be earmarkedfor housing
Manager Francis Vines insists Crawley will make their league superiority count in tonight's fourth round replay against Cambridge City. Reds were pushed all the way by the Conference south side in Saturday's 3-3 draw at Milton Road. They recovered from
Ben Roberts still has a future with Albion, providing he can prove his fitness. Manager Mark McGhee today revealed the Seagulls' former No.1 will be given the opportunity to earn a new contract and renew his battle for supremacy with Michel Kuipers. Roberts
Budget airline easyJet said passenger numbers soared by almost a quarter last month but warned the outlook remained uncertain. The carrier, which operates out of Gatwick, said it carried 2.08 million people in January, 24 per cent up on 1.68 million in
