Archive

  • Oval office

    Brian Oliver's criticism of Brighton and Hove for having no rugby club of national standing is unduly harsh (Letters, February 23). It is true but the two local clubs - Brighton FC (formation date 1868) and Hove RFC (1933), both of which are in the RU

  • Campus move

    What an inspired idea of the Sage of Sussex (February 21) to enlist Chris Brasher as an ally in the fight to protect the green and pleasant playing fields from sell-off at the Varndean/Stringer site. Why not go all the way and field Brighton's own Steve

  • Next phase

    What tremendous news that a group of local Albion supporters are backing the move to buy out Bill Archer's shareholding in the club. He was the man whose actions nearly destroyed the Albion in the Nineties and if it had not been for community-minded people

  • Racist charge levelled at police group

    The formation of a Sussex Black Police Officers' Association was attacked today as racist and divisive. One officer asked whether there should be an association for white officers. Black firearms officer PC Richard Edwards said he would not be joining

  • All very well

    It is all very well having these wonderful plans for luxury hotels and houses at the Brighton station site but who, paying good money, would want to stay near a supermarket that receives noisy deliveries through the night? -Mrs E Brunt, Cromwell Road,

  • Is this association really needed?

    I hope no one would consider me racist but, on reading the front-page article on the investigation of a police office for alleged racism (The Argus, February 23), I was left wondering why there is a Black Police Officers' Association. The Police Federation

  • I was blown off the M25

    A grandmother's car was blown off the M25 motorway and 25ft up an embankment by a huge blast of wind. Joan Youell's Toyota Yaris ploughed into trees and shrubs at the top of the embankment, close to the Sevenoaks turn-off. Mrs Youell, 64, of Letheren

  • Vets cure pets' firework phobia

    A Sussex vets' surgery is launching a drug-free training course to cure pets of their fear of fireworks. The sight and sound of pyrotechnics going off can drive them barking mad. Dogs have been known to shoot under the furniture, tremble with fear or

  • The Sage Of Sussex: Adam Trimingham

    Toad's Hole Valley doesn't sound like much of a place and in its current state is a waste of space. Cut off by the Brighton bypass and King George VI Avenue, it is more barren than beautiful. Its future is often a matter for speculation since it is by

  • Soccer star rode to our rescue

    Not many leading football stars are known for their public generosity. But then, there aren't many like John Robinson. The Charlton Athletic and Wales international winger came to the rescue of two stranded fans from Sussex. Dave Shearing and Dave Skiggs

  • Kidnap fears for text message girl

    A mother who received a text message saying she would never see her teenage daughter again today appealed for her safe return. Two days after hairdresser Donna Duplock, 18, disappeared after visiting a night club in Brighton, her mother Linda received

  • UK on the brink

    Caroline Pattenden's article "Man's fight to keep living on the edge" (The Argus, February 20) just about sums up the state our country is in. I was brought up to believe charity begins at home but it appears the National Trust, Wealden District Council

  • Here to help

    If Mr Robey (February 16), the 88-year-old who cannot find funds to cover nursing home fees, has ever served in the Armed Forces, he is entitled to have his case looked at by the Soldiers, Sailors and Air Force Association. The local office number is

  • Basketball: Bears play mind games

    Nick Nurse has told his players to start thinking like winners after the great let down against Newcastle. Bears threw away a winning position to slump to a one-point defeat by the Eagles on Sunday. That defeat left coach Nurse as angry as he has been

  • Athletics: Vaulter on medal mission

    Nick Buckfield believes he has the winning of a major medal inside him. The Crawley pole-vaulter, 28, will begin his bid for glory at the European Indoor Athletics Championships tomorrow but declined to predict his first major top three will be in Vienna

  • The day JFK stayed at our pub

    Newly released documents from the Public Records Office have revealed a visit by US president John F Kennedy to a Sussex pub. The pub was the Red Lion in Chelwood Gate and it was June 1963 -five months before Kennedy's assassination in Dallas, Texas.

  • Sweet or sour

    On Friday, February 22, I went to the Theatre Royal, Brighton, to see Alan Bennett's comedy play, Single Spies. On entering the foyer, I purchased a small box of chocolates. Half the sweets were wrapped in silver foil. Uppermost in my mind was that this

  • Cricket: Adams calls for new approach

    Chris Adams believes England have to change the make-up of their side if they are to become a power in one-day cricket. And the Sussex skipper is hoping a successful start to the season can help him force his way back into the international set-up. Adams

  • West Pier is symbol of man's transience

    Am I the only person who thinks Brighton's West Pier should be left alone to simply collapse slowly into the sea? The thought came to me as I cycled past the crumbling edifice last week. Backlit by a particularly vivid sunset, the pier had attracted the

  • Speedway exclusive: Champ in, Pole out

    Eastbourne Eagles have signed former world champion Mark Loram in a sensational move just weeks before the start of the new season. Eastbourne promoter Jon Cook completed the shock deal to bring Loram to Arlington after a dash across Britain last night

  • Lay off McPhee, says dad

    Chris McPhee's dad has hit back at critics of Brighton and Hove Albion's rookie stand-in for Bobby Zamora. Simon McPhee has branded supporters who have slammed the 18-year-old striker as "fickle". McPhee senior watched his son make his full debut in last

  • Firms get guidance on RSI menace

    Firms were today given new official guidance on how to tackle Repetitive Strain Injury after research showed most workers were unaware of the dangers they faced in the office. The Health and Safety Executive called on companies to redesign workstations

  • Alternative budgets unveiled

    Opposition parties were tonight putting forward radical alternatives to Brighton and Hove City Council's budget. The Labour-controlled council's ruling Cabinet proposes a 10.9 per cent rise in council tax. Meanwhile the Tory group's alternative budget

  • Pensioner's fear after home attack

    The prospect of leaving hospital and returning to the home where he was attacked brings tears to the eyes of Patrick Bourke. The pensioner was kicked down a flight of stairs by a burglar who broke into his Brighton home as he and his wife enjoyed a quiet

  • Queen 1, footie fans 0

    Football fans hoping to raise a glass to England's World Cup hopes have been dealt a red card - because it isn't considered a special occasion. But the Queen's Golden Jubilee is. Pubs across Sussex have been told police and magistrates will not support

  • Body found on beach

    A body has been found on a beach four miles from where a woman was seen being swept out to sea two days ago. The body of a woman was found by a man out walking at 8.15am today at Winchelsea near Rye. It is four miles east of where a 25-year-old woman

  • Wanted over back-street sex attack

    These are the faces of two men wanted in connection with a sex attack on a woman in an Eastbourne alleyway. Detectives today released CD-fit pictures of the pair after a woman in her 40s was attacked as she walked near Birling Street and Northiam Road

  • Athletes' plea over Albion games

    An athletics club has asked whether Brighton and Hove Albion could play fewer Tuesday matches at Withdean stadium. Brighton and Hove Athletics Club uses the track at Withdean on Tuesdays. City councillors heard there have been clashes with Albion home

  • Another planet

    Crime is not a joking matter. Are the Brighton Police living on a different planet to everyone else? Every day, we read of another assault, rape, stabbing or gun raid. The public are crying out for the police to take a tougher line on crime and their

  • Good Samaritan

    I would like to thank the very kind gentleman who helped me when my car broke down on the Telscombe Cliffs roundabout on Tuesday morning. I was in such a panic. He helped move my car to a safe place, calm me down and, as I was waiting for the AA, came

  • Paying to work

    No wonder they cannot get staff on the NHS. Who would want to work for an employer that charges you £14 a week to work there (staff car park, Worthing Hospital)? What will they think of next - admission charges to the hospital? -John A Hall, Rustington

  • Olivier's widow slams pier plan

    The widow of Lord Olivier has attacked plans by developers for buildings at the West Pier in Brighton. Actress Joan Plowright, who lived with the late actor in Brighton for many years, said: "I always loved Brighton seafront and so did he. "It would be

  • Time to move on

    Like thousands of other Albion fans, I am pleased Bill Archer is at long last leaving the club. Mr Archer did put money into the club but I do not think the money was spent wisely. The selling of the Goldstone ground was the final straw, with no new home

  • A different dream for West Pier

    An amateur designer has revealed his alternative vision for the West Pier - and it could leave Brighton and Hove with a sandy beach as big as Blackpool's. Cliff Clifford says his radical scheme would safeguard the long-term future of the Grade I listed

  • Blue Greens

    There's global warming, climate change, submerging English towns. There's huge great lakes where, recently, there used to be the Downs. The great polluters flourish as our planet sadly cries. We're permanently sodden under sullen leaden skies. The odds

  • In praise of Fish

    Just a note - being a pensioner - I so enjoy the cartoons by Martin Fish. I think they are fantastic and do so look forward to them in The Argus each Saturday. -J Green, Mayfield Close, Patcham

  • Euro fired

    With entry into the euro still being bandied around by the politicians, it is interesting to find out that, of all the European countries apart from Holland and Ireland, the lowest unemployment rates are either outside the single currency or outside the

  • Not too prudish

    No, Lorraine Forbes, you are certainly not being too prudish in your reaction to "Fantastic reading" (Letters, February 26). For nearly 40 years, I tried to convince pupils there were other adjectives besides "nice". Whether or not I succeeded, it is

  • Disabled worker settles dispute

    An office worker with learning difficulties who was sacked after pushing three colleagues has reached a financial settlement with his ex-bosses. David Hobbs, 47, of Marlow Avenue, Eastbourne, made a claim for compensation at an employment tribunal. He

  • I was blown off the M25

    A grandmother's car was blown off the M25 motorway and 25ft up an embankment by a huge blast of wind. Joan Youell's Toyota Yaris ploughed into trees and shrubs at the top of the embankment, close to the Sevenoaks turn-off. Mrs Youell, 64, of Letheren

  • My six-year wait for a postcard

    Tony Bunce has received a seaside postcard from his sister - more than SIX YEARS after she sent it to him. The card, posted from Jersey in August 1995, was delivered to Mr Bunce at his home in Montgomery Road, Hove, last week. He said: "I had spoken to

  • Injured fan seeks £500,000 from police

    A Sussex football fan injured during a riot is to seek £500,000 in costs and damages from the Metropolitan Police. The Court of Appeal today agreed John Wilson was the victim of a "deliberate and unlawful assault" by an officer. Mr Wilson, 21, says he

  • Soccer star rode to our rescue

    Not many leading football stars are known for their public generosity. But then, there aren't many like John Robinson. The Charlton Athletic and Wales international winger came to the rescue of two stranded fans from Sussex. Dave Shearing and Dave Skiggs

  • Culture Capital bid launched

    Figures from the worlds of sport, business, entertainment and the arts launched the Brighton and Hove - Where Else campaign. Representatives of organisations including the Albion, Same Sky, Southern FM and McDonalds were among guests at the dinner last

  • Man falls from crane

    A workman was rushed to hospital after falling 20ft from a crane. Clubbers arriving at Ikon and Diva near the County Mall in Crawley last night watched in horror as the 40-year-old, who was carrying out maintenance work, tumbled to the ground. He suffered

  • Town's 12% tax hike

    Council tax in Crawley is to rise by an inflation-busting 12 per cent next year, it was confirmed last night. Crawley Borough Council agreed the increase after a heated debate. The rise means the borough's share of the total tax bill will go up by £13

  • Hospital nursery to expand

    A hospital nursery is to double in size and it is anticipated giving staff greater access to childcare facilities at work will aid recruitment. An extra 60 places will be created at the Worthing Hospital nursery once expansion work is complete. Worthing

  • Reward for vital Sarah clue

    A woman who found a vital piece of evidence in the hunt for schoolgirl Sarah Payne's killer has been thanked with a reward. Deborah Bray spotted Sarah's black sandal near Coolham, West Sussex. It was the only item of the eight-year-old's clothing found

  • Teenager was hit by train

    A teenage train passenger was killed when he reached out to close an open door and was hit by an oncoming train. An inquest jury heard Wesley Salmon, 18, tried to shut the door as the train sped through the Bo-Peep tunnel, St Leonards, en route to Bexhill

  • Disabled worker settles dispute

    An office worker with learning difficulties who was sacked after pushing three colleagues has reached a financial settlement with his ex-bosses. David Hobbs, 47, of Marlow Avenue, Eastbourne, made a claim for compensation at an employment tribunal. He

  • Tax bills go up 5.7%

    Eastbourne Borough Council has set the lowest local tax in the county, with its share of the bill rising by 4.5 per cent. Councillors approved the increase yesterday night. It means tax payers can expect to pay an extra £5 for the borough council's slice

  • Wanted over back-street sex attack

    These are the faces of two men wanted in connection with a sex attack on a woman in an Eastbourne alleyway. Detectives today released CD-fit pictures of the pair after a woman in her 40s was attacked as she walked near Birling Street and Northiam Road

  • Kidnap fears for text message girl

    A mother who received a text message saying she would never see her teenage daughter again today appealed for her safe return. Two days after hairdresser Donna Duplock, 18, disappeared after visiting a night club in Brighton, her mother Linda received

  • UK on the brink

    Caroline Pattenden's article "Man's fight to keep living on the edge" (The Argus, February 20) just about sums up the state our country is in. I was brought up to believe charity begins at home but it appears the National Trust, Wealden District Council

  • Here to help

    If Mr Robey (February 16), the 88-year-old who cannot find funds to cover nursing home fees, has ever served in the Armed Forces, he is entitled to have his case looked at by the Soldiers, Sailors and Air Force Association. The local office number is

  • Broken hope

    The bottle bank in Lustrells Vale is going to be taken away on March 4. Lots of elderly people live in this area who are not too good on their feet and, like us, unable to drive a car any more. But we do like to have a drink now and then. Somehow or other

  • Life's trials

    The article online regarding travellers in Burgess Hill angered me, not least because it said travellers have no access to running water and waste disposal, a statement of the obvious, but implied travellers have no choice. They choose not to be part

  • So long, Spike

    Spike Milligan, who lived for many years in Sussex, was one of the dominant influences on humour in the past century. His anarchic sense of fun, which surfaced in the Goon Show, led the way to surreal comedy, such as Monty Python's Flying Circus, and

  • The day JFK stayed at our pub

    Newly released documents from the Public Records Office have revealed a visit by US president John F Kennedy to a Sussex pub. The pub was the Red Lion in Chelwood Gate and it was June 1963 -five months before Kennedy's assassination in Dallas, Texas.

  • Free choice

    In reply to Emma Nuttall's remarks (February 23), travellers choose their way of life. If they were all law-abiding, they would leave our parks, picnic areas, golf courses and areas of outstanding beauty alone and their vehicles would be taxed, insured

  • Cricket: Sussex in the black

    Sussex have bucked the trend by announcing a profit for the third year running even though players' wages topped £1m for the first time. As county clubs struggle to balance the books, Sussex will announce a pre-tax surplus of £36,277 at their AGM in three

  • Racism fight must go on

    The formation of a Sussex Black Police Officers Association has caused deep divisions within the force. It has been started to provide fair treatment for black officers and win the respect of racial minorities. But some officers, including one black policeman

  • Sweet or sour

    On Friday, February 22, I went to the Theatre Royal, Brighton, to see Alan Bennett's comedy play, Single Spies. On entering the foyer, I purchased a small box of chocolates. Half the sweets were wrapped in silver foil. Uppermost in my mind was that this

  • Speedway exclusive: Champ in, Pole out

    Eastbourne Eagles have signed former world champion Mark Loram in a sensational move just weeks before the start of the new season. Eastbourne promoter Jon Cook completed the shock deal to bring Loram to Arlington after a dash across Britain last night

  • Lay off McPhee, says dad

    Chris McPhee's dad has hit back at critics of Brighton and Hove Albion's rookie stand-in for Bobby Zamora. Simon McPhee has branded supporters who have slammed the 18-year-old striker as "fickle". McPhee senior watched his son make his full debut in last

  • Reward for vital Sarah clue

    A woman who found a vital piece of evidence in the hunt for schoolgirl Sarah Payne's killer has been thanked with a reward. Deborah Bray spotted Sarah's black sandal near Coolham, West Sussex. It was the only item of the eight-year-old's clothing found

  • Firms get guidance on RSI menace

    Firms were today given new official guidance on how to tackle Repetitive Strain Injury after research showed most workers were unaware of the dangers they faced in the office. The Health and Safety Executive called on companies to redesign workstations

  • Alternative budgets unveiled

    Opposition parties were tonight putting forward radical alternatives to Brighton and Hove City Council's budget. The Labour-controlled council's ruling Cabinet proposes a 10.9 per cent rise in council tax. Meanwhile the Tory group's alternative budget

  • Glimmer of hope for drug coma girl

    Teenager Amy Pickard should have the world at her feet, working to realise her dreams. Instead she has been in a coma for eight months. Since Amy was found unconscious in public toilets in Hastings last June after taking heroin, her family has lurched

  • Pensioner's fear after home attack

    The prospect of leaving hospital and returning to the home where he was attacked brings tears to the eyes of Patrick Bourke. The pensioner was kicked down a flight of stairs by a burglar who broke into his Brighton home as he and his wife enjoyed a quiet

  • Cash frees blocked beds

    The number of blocked beds in West Sussex Health Authority's hospitals has halved in the past six months. A House of Commons debate heard there were 71 beds taken by patients in West Sussex whose discharge was being delayed for non-medical reasons, such

  • Queen 1, footie fans 0

    Football fans hoping to raise a glass to England's World Cup hopes have been dealt a red card - because it isn't considered a special occasion. But the Queen's Golden Jubilee is. Pubs across Sussex have been told police and magistrates will not support

  • Body found on beach

    A body has been found on a beach four miles from where a woman was seen being swept out to sea two days ago. The body of a woman was found by a man out walking at 8.15am today at Winchelsea near Rye. It is four miles east of where a 25-year-old woman

  • Wanted over back-street sex attack

    These are the faces of two men wanted in connection with a sex attack on a woman in an Eastbourne alleyway. Detectives today released CD-fit pictures of the pair after a woman in her 40s was attacked as she walked near Birling Street and Northiam Road

  • Thanks for your help

    I had a request for help in finding lost relatives published in The Argus Weekend (February 16 and 23). Someone very kindly took the trouble of looking up their names and sending them to me. The card was unsigned so I would like to say thank you. I have

  • Ex-pilot loses book of his life

    A former naval pilot is distraught after losing a book in which he logged his flights for more than 50 years. Bill Williamson, who flew in the Second World War, had been to Shoreham airport to book a flight bought by his family as an 80th birthday present

  • Another planet

    Crime is not a joking matter. Are the Brighton Police living on a different planet to everyone else? Every day, we read of another assault, rape, stabbing or gun raid. The public are crying out for the police to take a tougher line on crime and their

  • True faith

    The new Bishop of Chichester, the Right Reverend John Hind, told members of Brighton and Hove Inter Faith that religion does not cause but is only a component of conflict (The Argus, February 25). Historical fact and contemporary experience prove otherwise

  • Olivier's widow slams pier plan

    The widow of Lord Olivier has attacked plans by developers for buildings at the West Pier in Brighton. Actress Joan Plowright, who lived with the late actor in Brighton for many years, said: "I always loved Brighton seafront and so did he. "It would be

  • Time to move on

    Like thousands of other Albion fans, I am pleased Bill Archer is at long last leaving the club. Mr Archer did put money into the club but I do not think the money was spent wisely. The selling of the Goldstone ground was the final straw, with no new home

  • A different dream for West Pier

    An amateur designer has revealed his alternative vision for the West Pier - and it could leave Brighton and Hove with a sandy beach as big as Blackpool's. Cliff Clifford says his radical scheme would safeguard the long-term future of the Grade I listed

  • Kids' stuff

    I bet when it was announced the Goldstone was being demolished, the residents living in and around the football ground jumped for joy. No more noise, double parking, extra police vans and cars and hooligans every Saturday home match. So why on earth should

  • Each his own

    Mrs Mittenbury (Letters, February 23) attempted to justify her objection to plans for a new Albion football stadium by saying there are thousands of people in Brighton and Hove who have not the slightest interest in football. Of course there are. Similarly

  • Blue Greens

    There's global warming, climate change, submerging English towns. There's huge great lakes where, recently, there used to be the Downs. The great polluters flourish as our planet sadly cries. We're permanently sodden under sullen leaden skies. The odds

  • Top scorer

    Full marks to Paul Elgood, leader of the Lib-Dems on Brighton and Hove City Council, for supporting the planned community stadium at Falmer (The Argus, February 23). His endorsement is particularly encouraging for the Albion because the Lib-Dems are clearly

  • Tip-off

    It seems the anti-Falmer brigade have not been doing their homework. The ones I have spoken to and those on the phone-in programmes are under the impression the "stadium for all" will be built in Stanmer Park, near the pond and village. The truth is,

  • Falmer stadium will clog up local roads

    It appears Brighton and Hove City Council and the Albion are determined to foist a stadium on to one or other of the sites at Falmer regardless of common sense and the sheer logistics of transporting up to 22,000 people there and back. Not everyone will

  • Huge rise in syphilis cases

    The number of cases of syphilis in Brighton and Hove has increased by more than 600 per cent in nearly three years. There have been 46 recorded cases in the city since June 1999, compared to an expected figure of one or two a year. A campaign has been

  • In praise of Fish

    Just a note - being a pensioner - I so enjoy the cartoons by Martin Fish. I think they are fantastic and do so look forward to them in The Argus each Saturday. -J Green, Mayfield Close, Patcham

  • Euro fired

    With entry into the euro still being bandied around by the politicians, it is interesting to find out that, of all the European countries apart from Holland and Ireland, the lowest unemployment rates are either outside the single currency or outside the

  • Not too prudish

    No, Lorraine Forbes, you are certainly not being too prudish in your reaction to "Fantastic reading" (Letters, February 26). For nearly 40 years, I tried to convince pupils there were other adjectives besides "nice". Whether or not I succeeded, it is

  • Disabled worker settles dispute

    An office worker with learning difficulties who was sacked after pushing three colleagues has reached a financial settlement with his ex-bosses. David Hobbs, 47, of Marlow Avenue, Eastbourne, made a claim for compensation at an employment tribunal. He

  • My six-year wait for a postcard

    Tony Bunce has received a seaside postcard from his sister - more than SIX YEARS after she sent it to him. The card, posted from Jersey in August 1995, was delivered to Mr Bunce at his home in Montgomery Road, Hove, last week. He said: "I had spoken to

  • Injured fan seeks £500,000 from police

    A Sussex football fan injured during a riot is to seek £500,000 in costs and damages from the Metropolitan Police. The Court of Appeal today agreed John Wilson was the victim of a "deliberate and unlawful assault" by an officer. Mr Wilson, 21, says he

  • Culture Capital bid launched

    Figures from the worlds of sport, business, entertainment and the arts launched the Brighton and Hove - Where Else campaign. Representatives of organisations including the Albion, Same Sky, Southern FM and McDonalds were among guests at the dinner last

  • Still open

    The article on reduction in heroin supply from Afghanistan and the implications for the future for those seeking treatment (February 22) implied there was a three-month waiting list for community-based treatment services. The article was an attempt to

  • Focus on raptors

    The bird illustrated in the community web information column in The Argus Business (February 5) belongs to Huxley's Experience, the bird of prey centre near Horsham, and not to the Southern Counties Raptor Club, as does all the collection of raptors seen

  • Broken hope

    The bottle bank in Lustrells Vale is going to be taken away on March 4. Lots of elderly people live in this area who are not too good on their feet and, like us, unable to drive a car any more. But we do like to have a drink now and then. Somehow or other

  • Booze penalty

    The Queen's Golden Jubilee counts as a special occasion when it comes to pub licensing hours, it has been decided. But applications to open during early-morning matches in the World Cup for serving drinks will be resisted. Judging by public reaction so

  • Life's trials

    The article online regarding travellers in Burgess Hill angered me, not least because it said travellers have no access to running water and waste disposal, a statement of the obvious, but implied travellers have no choice. They choose not to be part

  • So long, Spike

    Spike Milligan, who lived for many years in Sussex, was one of the dominant influences on humour in the past century. His anarchic sense of fun, which surfaced in the Goon Show, led the way to surreal comedy, such as Monty Python's Flying Circus, and

  • Free choice

    In reply to Emma Nuttall's remarks (February 23), travellers choose their way of life. If they were all law-abiding, they would leave our parks, picnic areas, golf courses and areas of outstanding beauty alone and their vehicles would be taxed, insured

  • Cricket: Sussex in the black

    Sussex have bucked the trend by announcing a profit for the third year running even though players' wages topped £1m for the first time. As county clubs struggle to balance the books, Sussex will announce a pre-tax surplus of £36,277 at their AGM in three

  • Racism fight must go on

    The formation of a Sussex Black Police Officers Association has caused deep divisions within the force. It has been started to provide fair treatment for black officers and win the respect of racial minorities. But some officers, including one black policeman

  • Reserves get chilly reception

    Albion's young reserve team were literally left in the cold at Ninian Park yesterday. They fought out a goalless draw with Cardiff City on a pitch thick with mud, then discovered there was no hot water. The players, still in their kit, had to walk across

  • Reward for vital Sarah clue

    A woman who found a vital piece of evidence in the hunt for schoolgirl Sarah Payne's killer has been thanked with a reward. Deborah Bray spotted Sarah's black sandal near Coolham, West Sussex. It was the only item of the eight-year-old's clothing found

  • Councillor could face sack

    Crawley Council is to consider sacking one of its executive members following allegations he lied to a housing officer. The borough council's standards committee found unanimously that Labour councillor Dennis Wallis had breached the National Code of

  • Rentokil shakes off downturn

    Sussex-based Rentokil Initial, the ratcatcher-to-tropical plants group, today said an overhaul had protected it from the worst of the downturn. Rentokil launched the shake-up just over two years ago after missing growth targets for the first time in 17

  • Glimmer of hope for drug coma girl

    Teenager Amy Pickard should have the world at her feet, working to realise her dreams. Instead she has been in a coma for eight months. Since Amy was found unconscious in public toilets in Hastings last June after taking heroin, her family has lurched

  • Mourners say farewell to councillor

    A West Sussex councillor who died aged 45 has been remembered as "an inspiration to all" at her funeral. More than 100 mourners were at the service for Gilly Sweet, a Labour councillor who represented Mash Barn ward on Adur District Council. Coun Sweet

  • Thanks for your help

    I had a request for help in finding lost relatives published in The Argus Weekend (February 16 and 23). Someone very kindly took the trouble of looking up their names and sending them to me. The card was unsigned so I would like to say thank you. I have

  • Ex-pilot loses book of his life

    A former naval pilot is distraught after losing a book in which he logged his flights for more than 50 years. Bill Williamson, who flew in the Second World War, had been to Shoreham airport to book a flight bought by his family as an 80th birthday present

  • Man wins scarf case appeal

    A student who was fined for covering his face with a scarf during a protest march has won his appeal at Lewes Crown Court. Gary Duke, 40, studying for a postgraduate degree at Salford University, was arrested during a Stop the War demonstration at the

  • True faith

    The new Bishop of Chichester, the Right Reverend John Hind, told members of Brighton and Hove Inter Faith that religion does not cause but is only a component of conflict (The Argus, February 25). Historical fact and contemporary experience prove otherwise

  • Tributes to the last Goon

    Spike Milligan's death finally closes the book on the Goons, one of the most original and influential comedy groups Britain has ever produced. Milligan's madcap and absurd sense of humour dominated the Goons, whose other members - Sir Harry Secombe, Peter

  • Oval office

    Brian Oliver's criticism of Brighton and Hove for having no rugby club of national standing is unduly harsh (Letters, February 23). It is true but the two local clubs - Brighton FC (formation date 1868) and Hove RFC (1933), both of which are in the RU

  • Campus move

    What an inspired idea of the Sage of Sussex (February 21) to enlist Chris Brasher as an ally in the fight to protect the green and pleasant playing fields from sell-off at the Varndean/Stringer site. Why not go all the way and field Brighton's own Steve

  • Kids' stuff

    I bet when it was announced the Goldstone was being demolished, the residents living in and around the football ground jumped for joy. No more noise, double parking, extra police vans and cars and hooligans every Saturday home match. So why on earth should

  • Next phase

    What tremendous news that a group of local Albion supporters are backing the move to buy out Bill Archer's shareholding in the club. He was the man whose actions nearly destroyed the Albion in the Nineties and if it had not been for community-minded people

  • Each his own

    Mrs Mittenbury (Letters, February 23) attempted to justify her objection to plans for a new Albion football stadium by saying there are thousands of people in Brighton and Hove who have not the slightest interest in football. Of course there are. Similarly

  • Top scorer

    Full marks to Paul Elgood, leader of the Lib-Dems on Brighton and Hove City Council, for supporting the planned community stadium at Falmer (The Argus, February 23). His endorsement is particularly encouraging for the Albion because the Lib-Dems are clearly

  • Tip-off

    It seems the anti-Falmer brigade have not been doing their homework. The ones I have spoken to and those on the phone-in programmes are under the impression the "stadium for all" will be built in Stanmer Park, near the pond and village. The truth is,

  • Falmer stadium will clog up local roads

    It appears Brighton and Hove City Council and the Albion are determined to foist a stadium on to one or other of the sites at Falmer regardless of common sense and the sheer logistics of transporting up to 22,000 people there and back. Not everyone will

  • Huge rise in syphilis cases

    The number of cases of syphilis in Brighton and Hove has increased by more than 600 per cent in nearly three years. There have been 46 recorded cases in the city since June 1999, compared to an expected figure of one or two a year. A campaign has been

  • Racist charge levelled at police group

    The formation of a Sussex Black Police Officers' Association was attacked today as racist and divisive. One officer asked whether there should be an association for white officers. Black firearms officer PC Richard Edwards said he would not be joining

  • All very well

    It is all very well having these wonderful plans for luxury hotels and houses at the Brighton station site but who, paying good money, would want to stay near a supermarket that receives noisy deliveries through the night? -Mrs E Brunt, Cromwell Road,

  • Is this association really needed?

    I hope no one would consider me racist but, on reading the front-page article on the investigation of a police office for alleged racism (The Argus, February 23), I was left wondering why there is a Black Police Officers' Association. The Police Federation

  • Vets cure pets' firework phobia

    A Sussex vets' surgery is launching a drug-free training course to cure pets of their fear of fireworks. The sight and sound of pyrotechnics going off can drive them barking mad. Dogs have been known to shoot under the furniture, tremble with fear or

  • The Sage Of Sussex: Adam Trimingham

    Toad's Hole Valley doesn't sound like much of a place and in its current state is a waste of space. Cut off by the Brighton bypass and King George VI Avenue, it is more barren than beautiful. Its future is often a matter for speculation since it is by

  • Kidnap fears for text message girl

    A mother who received a text message saying she would never see her teenage daughter again today appealed for her safe return. Two days after hairdresser Donna Duplock, 18, disappeared after visiting a night club in Brighton, her mother Linda received

  • Football star in jet scare

    A premiership footballer today apologised after unwittingly sparking a security scare on a packed passenger plane. The flight carrying Newcastle United's Laurent Robert was diverted to Gatwick when part of his luggage caused concern. Robert, who was flying

  • Councillor could face sack

    Crawley Council is to consider sacking one of its executive members following allegations he lied to a housing officer. The borough council's standards committee found unanimously that Labour councillor Dennis Wallis had breached the National Code of

  • Driver foils bag theft

    Two teenagers snatched a pensioner's handbag but fled empty-handed after a passer-by gave chase. The youths, aged between 14 and 16, approached the woman in Tarring Road, Worthing, and asked her for a light. One of them grabbed her bag and they ran off

  • Mourners say farewell to councillor

    A West Sussex councillor who died aged 45 has been remembered as "an inspiration to all" at her funeral. More than 100 mourners were at the service for Gilly Sweet, a Labour councillor who represented Mash Barn ward on Adur District Council. Coun Sweet

  • Tax rise to aid homeless

    Householders in Littlehampton, Arundel, Bognor and Ferring face an inflation-busting rise in their council tax bills. The district council last night voted to increase its slice of the bill to £114.30 - up £9.90 - making the average Band D charge £963.85

  • Council's top officer quits

    Wealden District Council's chief executive has announced she is to quit after two years in the post. Sheelagh Douglas tendered her resignation last night. She will leave at the end of May for a job at the London Institute, which is renowned for art and

  • Bus routes to change hands

    Transport giant Stagecoach plans to sell part of its operation in the South-East to Eastbourne Buses. Four routes will change hands in two months' time if negotiations run smoothly. Most of the 70 Stagecoach employees affected by the changes will be offered

  • Library rescue bid turned down

    Campaigners today vowed to continue their battle to save Eastbourne's Old Town Library after councillors rejected a rescue deal. More than 100 members of the library's Friends group held a demonstration urging councillors to step in and save the library

  • Still open

    The article on reduction in heroin supply from Afghanistan and the implications for the future for those seeking treatment (February 22) implied there was a three-month waiting list for community-based treatment services. The article was an attempt to

  • Focus on raptors

    The bird illustrated in the community web information column in The Argus Business (February 5) belongs to Huxley's Experience, the bird of prey centre near Horsham, and not to the Southern Counties Raptor Club, as does all the collection of raptors seen

  • Basketball: Bears play mind games

    Nick Nurse has told his players to start thinking like winners after the great let down against Newcastle. Bears threw away a winning position to slump to a one-point defeat by the Eagles on Sunday. That defeat left coach Nurse as angry as he has been

  • Booze penalty

    The Queen's Golden Jubilee counts as a special occasion when it comes to pub licensing hours, it has been decided. But applications to open during early-morning matches in the World Cup for serving drinks will be resisted. Judging by public reaction so

  • Athletics: Vaulter on medal mission

    Nick Buckfield believes he has the winning of a major medal inside him. The Crawley pole-vaulter, 28, will begin his bid for glory at the European Indoor Athletics Championships tomorrow but declined to predict his first major top three will be in Vienna

  • Cricket: Adams calls for new approach

    Chris Adams believes England have to change the make-up of their side if they are to become a power in one-day cricket. And the Sussex skipper is hoping a successful start to the season can help him force his way back into the international set-up. Adams

  • West Pier is symbol of man's transience

    Am I the only person who thinks Brighton's West Pier should be left alone to simply collapse slowly into the sea? The thought came to me as I cycled past the crumbling edifice last week. Backlit by a particularly vivid sunset, the pier had attracted the

  • Reserves get chilly reception

    Albion's young reserve team were literally left in the cold at Ninian Park yesterday. They fought out a goalless draw with Cardiff City on a pitch thick with mud, then discovered there was no hot water. The players, still in their kit, had to walk across

  • Councillor could face sack

    Crawley Council is to consider sacking one of its executive members following allegations he lied to a housing officer. The borough council's standards committee found unanimously that Labour councillor Dennis Wallis had breached the National Code of

  • Rentokil shakes off downturn

    Sussex-based Rentokil Initial, the ratcatcher-to-tropical plants group, today said an overhaul had protected it from the worst of the downturn. Rentokil launched the shake-up just over two years ago after missing growth targets for the first time in 17

  • Mourners say farewell to councillor

    A West Sussex councillor who died aged 45 has been remembered as "an inspiration to all" at her funeral. More than 100 mourners were at the service for Gilly Sweet, a Labour councillor who represented Mash Barn ward on Adur District Council. Coun Sweet

  • Athletes' plea over Albion games

    An athletics club has asked whether Brighton and Hove Albion could play fewer Tuesday matches at Withdean stadium. Brighton and Hove Athletics Club uses the track at Withdean on Tuesdays. City councillors heard there have been clashes with Albion home

  • Man wins scarf case appeal

    A student who was fined for covering his face with a scarf during a protest march has won his appeal at Lewes Crown Court. Gary Duke, 40, studying for a postgraduate degree at Salford University, was arrested during a Stop the War demonstration at the

  • Good Samaritan

    I would like to thank the very kind gentleman who helped me when my car broke down on the Telscombe Cliffs roundabout on Tuesday morning. I was in such a panic. He helped move my car to a safe place, calm me down and, as I was waiting for the AA, came

  • Paying to work

    No wonder they cannot get staff on the NHS. Who would want to work for an employer that charges you £14 a week to work there (staff car park, Worthing Hospital)? What will they think of next - admission charges to the hospital? -John A Hall, Rustington

  • Tributes to the last Goon

    Spike Milligan's death finally closes the book on the Goons, one of the most original and influential comedy groups Britain has ever produced. Milligan's madcap and absurd sense of humour dominated the Goons, whose other members - Sir Harry Secombe, Peter