...I'm bored of this now. I think I proved my point though. Read more...
Thursday 20 December 2007
New train timetable causes headache for commuters in Sussex
By Katya Mira
New train timetables are causing a nightmare for commuters travelling to work.
The new service introduced by Southern Trains on December 9 follows the withdrawal of the South West Trains (SWT) Basingstoke to Brighton service.
It aims to streamline and improve services to Southampton and Portsmouth and only reduce those used by a small number of people.
But people travelling towards Brighton from smaller stations between Chichester and Worthing say they are suffering from reduced service at peak commuting times.
Many of those who use the train daily from villages such as Goring, Fishbourne, Bosham, Nutbourne and Amberley say the changes mean their trains are less frequent, they have to wait up to an hour-and-a-half for a connecting train on some services and some stations are being missed out altogether.
Angry train users said that the changes are making travelling to work by train almost impossible. Some have even said they are considering moving home to cope with the timetable changes.
Anne Hill, who lives in Bury, near Amberley, does not drive and says commuting to Brighton has been hell since the new timetables were introduced.
She said the journey used to take her an hour in the morning and in the evening but now she had nearly an extra half hour added onto her inward journey and to wait an hour and a half for the connecting service home.
She said she had been getting lifts home so far but would not be able to rely on them all the time so did not know how she was going to cope.
Ms Hill said: "They are trying to get people to Southampton quicker but not considering people in the Arun Valley.
"How many go all the way from Brighton to Southampton on a daily basis? They need to be looking after their commuters as well.
"We have less trains and the connection times are terrible and so many of us are having problems. One woman I spoke to the other day said the train no longer stopped where she lives at Fishbourne so she was going to have to move.
"It is putting people's jobs on the line.
"When I first saw the timetables it ruined my weekend thinking about how I was going to survive and I am still unsure how I am going to be able to continue doing my job."
Chris Burchell, managing director of Southern Trains, maintained the cuts only affect a small number of people.
He said: "Overall this is great news for Brighton.
ìCommuters and leisure travellers will see big improvements in journey time and frequency.î "A lot of time and thought has gone into re-designing our services and rail users in Brighton will clearly benefit.
"There have been some reductions but these are on services used by smaller numbers of passengers. We sympathise with passengers on these routes but have done our best to ensure an improved or equal service for the vast majority. We hope the changes will encourage people who may not previously have used the railway to give our trains a try."
Are you affected by the new timetables? Call Katya Mira on 01273 544545 or leave your comments below.
Read more...Pedestrian hit by lorry in Worthing
By Ruth Lumley
An elderly pedestrian has suffered serious injuries after being knocked over by a lorry.
The man was outside Swandean Hospital in Arundel Road on the A27 in Worthing, at 11.15am today, when he was knocked over by a light-coloured, medium-sized, curtain-sided goods vehicle, which failed to stop. The victim was taken to Worthing Hospital.
Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to call Sussex Police on 0845 60 70 999, quoting Operation Malling.
Read more...Drugs gang jailed for 86 years
Six members of a gang which plotted to flood bars and clubs in Sussex with millions of pounds of cocaine have today been jailed for a total of 86 years.
High-living mastermind Lubia Ram, 47, was given 20 years for his part in the conspiracy to smuggle cocaine worth £5million from South America.
Ram, of Delfont Close, Crawley, put up £70,000 and plotted with Oscar Salas-Weslke to buy the Class A drug in Peru.
Salas-weslke, 54, of East Park, Crawley, flew three times to his native Peru to set up the importation.
The unemployed chef hid bullets of almost 100 per cent pure cocaine in 35mm film canisters and posted them to to safe addresses in Crawley and Brighton.
He was jailed for 22 years today at the end of a four-month trial at Hove Crown Court.
Moves are underway to deport him to Peru to continue serving his sentence there.
His son Nathan Chapman-Salas, 28, acted as their "gopher".
He sent Ram's money to his father in Peru and collected the drugs when they arrived in Sussex.
Chapman-Sallas, 28, of Innes Road, Horsham, a father-of-three, was sent to prison for 15 years.
Bouncer and former judo champion Richard Casella, described as Ram's "muscle", provided safe addresses for the drugs to be sent to.
They included those of his brother and a former girlfriend.
Casella,43, of Hophurst Drive, Crawley, was jailed for 12 years.
Self-confessed crack-cocaine addict Trevor Bodwen also provided a safe address for the drugs to be sent to.
Bowden, 38, of Clive Way, Crawley, was given ten years behind bars yesterday.
Julian Fernandez, 25, accepted packages drugs at his home in Railey Road, Crawley.
The student and part-time waiter was the only one who admitted his role in the conspiracy.
He offered to give evidence against Salas-Weslke in the hope of receiving a lighter sentence but prosecutors refused the deal.
Fernandez is today starting a seven-year sentence for his part in the conspiracy.
The plot failed after German customs officers intercepted three consignments of drugs posted from Peru between July and October last year.
They tipped off Sussex Police and the near 100 per cent pure cocaine was removed.
Detective Constable Peter Stapleton posed as a postman to see who accepted the dummy packages at addresses in Crawley.
The court heard Ram put up £70,000 to buy the cocaine which sells at £2,000 a kilo in Peru.
It is estimated that the 35kg his money would have bought would have sold on the streets of Sussex for £5million.
Judge Guy Anthony told them: "You Salas-Weselke and Ram were the two central brains. Neither has expressed the slightest remorse.
"Chapman-Salas you played a very significant role, acting as middle-man.
"You were more than happy to assist in this enterprise in the expectation of significant profits.
"It was you who put Fabio de Palma in peril of being convicted and you who involved Bowden.
"Richard Casella, you embarked on the scheme with greater enthusiasm than some of the others.
"You provided the addresses of your own brother and your then girlfriend for Ram to use.
"On the jury's verdict you got your brother into serious trouble through no fault of his own."
Detective Sergeant Tony Pike, who led the investigation, said he was pleased with the sentences.
He said: "They are deterent sentences and will be seen as such.
"This is a clear warning to people not to deal drugs in Susex."
Detective Constable Stuart Black added: "We have taken out Oscar Salas-Weslke who was the head of purchasing in Peru.
"We have taken out Ram, the head in this country of financing the operation.
"We have taken out Nathan Chapman-Salas, the head in this country of distribution.
"We have taken out Richard Casella who, in our belief, was the main muscle behind those three.
"We have managed to convict four major people within this organised crime group.
"Although three importations were stopped we are convinced others got through."
Three other men who also stood trial were found not guilty.
They were businessman Russell Lawrence, 49, of Maidenbower Place, Crawley, Richard Casella's brother Paul, 44, of Capricorn Close, Crawley, and Fabio de Palma,30, of Albany Road, Crawley.
Ram, who wore expensive jewellery including a £6,000 Rolex watch and a £1,200 diamond ring now faces a financial investigation.
He drove flash cars which included a £90,000 Mercedes AMG sports saloon with a personalised RAM number plate.
The jury heard how he boasted he was a millionaire, wore designer clothes and drank £80-a-bottle champagne in Crawley night clubs.
All his property could now be confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act at a hearing to be fixed next year.
Read more...Brighton man went on £38,000 spree with stolen credit card
By Ali Cridland
A con artist who went on a spending spree with a stolen credit card has been jailed.
Paul Manning, 29, spent thousands of pounds on luxury hotels, fine restaurants and champagne.
Within weeks he spent more than £38,000.
At Lewes Crown Court Manning, who has a long history of dishonest behaviour, was sent to prison for 30 months.
He was convicted by a jury at a trial last month of stealing a credit card from his friend Jonathan Day.
He admitted 17 offences of obtaining three other credit cards dishonestly and using credit cards by deception.
He asked for 104 similar offences to be taken into consideration.
The court heard as well as living the high life Manning also withdrew cash using the cards to pay the deposit on a rented flat and spent thousands on electrical goods and furniture for his new home.
During his spree he stayed at top hotels in Brighton, including the Thistle, the Hilton Metropole and The Grand.
Rachel Beckett, prosecuting, told the court Manning, of Whippingham Road, Brighton, ran up debts of totalling £38,274.61 before his arrest.
He stole the card in May 2006 and was arrested in July that year.
The court heard he has served jail sentences in the past for deception, burglary and handling stolen goods.
Julian Dale, defending, said Manning suffered from depression and became ill after splitting from his partner in March 2006.
He said: "By the summer he found himself without accommodation, suffering from severe depression and to his shame indulging in the sort of criminal behaviour he had committed in the past.
"He is absolutely determined he will not go back to this sort of behaviour."
Read more...Off-licences ban sales of booze in Storrington
By Andy Whelan
Off-licences have banned the sale of alcohol to under 21s in a bid to crack down on underage drinking.
Shops have agreed stop selling drink to young people without valid proof of age to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour.
The scheme has been launched in Storrington, near Horsham, which has high levels of underage drinking.
Police and ambulance crews have backed the scheme because they have been inundated with calls relating to teenage boozing.
If it is successful and helps alleviate the pressure on emergency services it could be introduced across West Sussex.
All five licenced shops in the village have banned selling booze to youngsters, including a Co-op, Tesco Express and Sainsbury's store.
Police have asked all the shops to take part because officers have found older people have been buying alcohol for their younger friends.
Licensees agreed to the scheme after they were approached by Horsham district crime and disorder reduction partnership.
The partnership is made up of various organisations including Horsham District Council and the emergency services.
Council community safety officer Greg Charman said: "When talking to the members of the partnership Storrington continued to crop up as being a problem area, especially on a Friday and Saturday night.
"The number of incidents was disproportionate to the number of people who lived there.
"It was showing a high level of complaints from members of the public who were complaining about antisocial behaviour.
"We spoke to police officers and licensees and we agreed the main driving force behind the problems was alcohol.
"It will protect people of other generations and also the young people themselves who are often picked up by police and ambulance crews."
The trial period will last for two months over the festive period and emergency service statistics will then be reviewed.
Posters will be displayed inside and outside participating stores warning shoppers of the new policy.
The poster will also inform customers of the fines for buying booze for minors and will remind them it is breaking the law.
Neighbourhood Specialist Team Sergeant Darren Lillywhite of Sussex Police said: "I hope we can look forward to a dramatic improvement in crime and antisocial behaviour.
"Underage alcohol purchasing is a serious problem and we hope that addressing it in this way will discourage any young people from using fake identities or proxy purchasing where an older person purchases alcohol for underage friends."
Peter England, the administration manager of the World of Wines in High Street, Storrington, backs the scheme.
He said branches in Henfield and Steyning have also banned selling booze to under 21s.
Mr England said: "We are fully supportive of anything which will help reduce underage drinking.
"We don't get many youngsters in here because we are a wine merchant but we can see the problems in the town.
"We are happy to do anything we can to help reduce those problems."
Will banning under 21s from buying booze solve antisocial problems? Tell us what you think below.
For more information about crime in your area visit the local information section of this website.
Read more...Stolen jumpers turn up on eBay
By Katya Mira
Cashmere sweaters stolen from a family business have been found by one of its customers on eBay.
More than £35,000 worth of goods were taken from clothing firm Woolovers, based in Haywards Heath, at the beginning of the month.
Crooks swiped 800 sweaters and 500 tops on two occasions a few days apart and what had seemed like a bumper Christmas for the company began to look bleak.
But after founder Mark Shenton sent an email round to their regular customers asking them to keep an eye out for the speciality clothes, all labelled with company name, he was pleasantly surprised to get a reply.
One customer told him he had spotted some of the clothing, all still labelled with the Woolovers logo, on internet marketplace eBay.
Mr Shenton passed the information on to the police who retrieved 140 of the tops from an address in East London. A 28-year-old woman from the area was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods.
She was released on police bail without charge and was told to return to a police station on January 11.
Mr Shenton said: "It is almost farcical that it was just sitting there on eBay.
"It still had the company's branding all over it and everything - you think they would at least cut the labels out.
"But we are really over the moon - it is a great start to getting some of our stock back.
"I wonder how much more stolen goods end up there on internet sites for all to see.
"Hopefully this will be the tip of the iceberg and will lead to the recovery of more of the stock.
"What really warmed our hearts was the way people were so in the mood for helping and wrote in to tell us about the eBay thing.
"It was nice to have that support."
The gang of thieves first escaped with 800 items on November 27 after breaking into a parish hall in Essex where they were being stored for a sale. Three days later the criminals broke into a Woolovers lorry parked outside the company headquarters at Bolney Grange Industrial Estate and grabbed another 500 tops.
The mail order business has achieved record sales this year but Mr Shenton said the thefts at the busiest time of year were a serious concern.
He said he was concerned the firm was being specifically targeted by professional criminals after the two separate incidents so close to each other in time but far apart in place.
Read more...Christmas lights row in ho-ho-Hove
As Christmas decorations go they are among the most flamboyant you could ever expect to see.
Eddy's Takeaway in Sackville Road, Hove, has covered its entire shop in the amazing flashing festive lights, including trees, snowmen and rooftop decorations.
It has cost Christmas-mad owner George Shakir thousands of pounds and drawn praise from the shop's hundreds of regular customers.
Mr Shakir said: "We love it, it really gets us all in the festive spirit and the customers seem to enjoy it too.
"It takes ages to put it all up but when you stand back and take a look, it looks brilliant."
But despite the dazzling display, some people living near the shop have complained that the decorations are over the top.
Kim Sayers, 54, from Sackville Road, said: "At night, when the lights get switched on, they beam straight through my window and makes it difficult for me to get to sleep.
"Luckily I have some really thick curtains which just about blocks them out.
"But for anyone who hasn't it's probably a big problem. I'm all for the Christmas spirit - I love this time of year.
"But that is a bit over the top."
Another resident, Sharon Carter, 32, also from Sackville Road, said: "I like the lights but there are too many of them.
"We all love a bit of festive cheer but when it intrudes right into your living room every night there is a limit to how far that will stretch.
"Don't get me wrong, I go into Eddy's quite a bit and my husband does too.
"I think I'll ask them next time to tone it down a bit."
However Eddy's regular Tony Shapiro, from the nearby Old Shoreham Road, said: "How can you moan about it? Anyone that does is a Scrooge in my book.
"It brighten's up the place and really gets you in the festive spirit. They do a great bit of grub too so you can't really go wrong."
Mr Shakir has been putting up the lights for a number of years with the display growing each time as his collection of decorations grows.
He said he has no plans to tone them down but said he would try and consider neighbours' concerns in the future.
There are no specific laws governing the use of Christmas lights on properties.
But environmental health inspectors can order their removal if deemed to be too bright, or a hazard to passing motorists or pedestrians.
Are the lights too much or do they give the area a festive feel? Tell us what you think below.
Read more...Maternity unit axed in Eastbourne
By Siobhan Ryan
Campaigners have vowed to fight all the way after health managers today approved plans to downgrade a hospital maternity unit.
Members of the East Sussex Downs and Weald and Hastings and Rother Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) spent three hours discussing the controversial proposals at a meeting in Uckfield this morning.
Members of the joint board were heckled throughout the meeting. Campaigners shouted 'sham' and 'farce'.
At one point the chairman Charles Everett warned the meeting could be held in secret because of the constant disruptions.
They agreed to accept a recommendation by PCTs chief executive Nick Yeo to allow the Conquest Hospital in St Leonards to keep full maternity services while downgrading those at Eastbourne.
The Conquest will also become the home of the special care baby unit.
Tens of thousands of people including medics, midwives, GPs and residents opposed the plans during a public consultation held earlier this year.
Opponents fear lives could be put at risk by making mothers needing specialised birthing facilities travel 20 miles from Eastbourne to Hastings.
They said full services should be kept at both hospitals.
Campaigners, including local MPs, were out in force this morning with around 50 people packed into Uckfield's Civic Centre to hear the debate.
Members of the Save the DGH and Hands Off the Conquest campaign both condemned the decision made.
Members of the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority board are this afternoon expected to approve the PCT's decision.
For more information about health in your area visit the local information section of this website.
How will the decision affect you? Tell us your stories below or call Siobhan Ryan on 01273 732254.
Read more...Wind turbine ripped down by vandals in Climping
Thieves pulled down a wind turbine from the county's first wind-powered school in a bid to steal its metal for scrap.
The 30ft turbine, at Climping St Mary's School near Littlehampton, was found by teachers on the ground.
The securing bolts of the £35,000 structure had been removed and ropes had been tied to it in one corner of the school's playing field.
Tools, including three large wrenches, were found nearby.
Police believe the aim was either to strip it of copper and other metals that could be re-sold or that the attack was wan act of vandalism.
The damage is expected to cost up to £25,000 to fix.
The tools have been sent away for forensic tests.
Headteacher Janet Llewelyn said: "A group of staff arrived at school at the same time on Wednesday and found the turbine lying on the ground.
"It was a very sorry sight.
"Tools were left nearby and we know it hadn't blown down as it was secured with bolts used to hold up pylons.
"The whole thing was just so dangerous. A rope that had been tied to a tree to lower it to the ground had snapped, sending it crashing down. Someone could have been killed.
"The children are devastated. One boy had been out all lunchtime looking for clues."
Pupils reacted angrily to the news that someone had tried to steal their turbine, which is a beacon of the school's green credentials.
Kayleigh Puttock, ten, said: "I think it's very sad because when it's up we like to jump over the shadows of the blades."
Tommy Cushway, ten, said he hoped police caught whoever was responsible and "locked them up".
He said: "When it was up the turbine made me feel good because I knew we were protecting the environment but now it's down I feel sad.
"I hope the police catch these people and lock them up. They should be told that it's wrong to wreck other people's property."
A spokesman for West Sussex County Council said the aim was to get the turbine, which was insured, up and running again as soon as possible.
The turbine was officially opened in September 2005 and was the first to be installed at a West Sussex school.
In its brief life its three 2.75-metre blades generated 15,000 kw hours of energy - one-third of the school's electricity account and generated a surplus which has been re-sold back to the National Grid.
A panel inside the school showed the running tally of how much had been generated.
PC Peter Childs of Sussex Police said: "It's soul-destroying to see the turbine damaged in this way because the school were very proud of it.
"It's either sheer vandalism, which I doubt, or they were after the copper inside the turbine which is not worth much compared with the amount of damage caused.
"It's always sad when people attack schools as these are our children who come in and see it."
Anyone with information should call PC Childs at Arundel police station on 0845 6070999.
For more information about crime in your area visit the local information section of this website.
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