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‘Very tough decisions’ on council tax in new year warns West Sussex County Council leader

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‘Very tough decisions’ on council tax will have to be made in the new year, West Sussex County Council’s leader has warned.

{http://www.westsussextoday.co.uk/news/county-news/cabinet-member-resigns-over-his-concerns-at-significant-tax-increase-at-west-sussex-county-council-1-7118925|Earlier this month|Earlier this month} Michael Brown resigned as cabinet member for finance as he felt unable to stand up in a budget debate early next year and announce a significant tax increase.

Although WSCC said no final decisions have been made on council tax or the 2016/17 budget, leader Louise Goldsmith left the door open for a council tax rise as the authority looks to cut more than £140m over the next four years.

She said: “Next year will be an extremely challenging one for us but we will continue to do everything we can to deliver good quality services and value for taxpayers while continuing to make the necessary savings.

“However with growing demands on our services, a worse than expected funding settlement from the Government, the end of the council tax freeze grant and the introduction of the National Living Wage we will have to take some very tough decisions regarding council tax.

“We totally support the Living Wage but we cannot escape the fact that this will add an extra £9m annually to our budget, nor can we escape the fact that the Chancellor’s two per cent surcharge on council tax bills for social care will not plug the funding gap we face in providing adult social services.

“West Sussex has frozen council tax for its residents for the last five years but with the additional burdens being placed on our budget and a shortfall in funding some tough decisions will have to be made.”

In his Autumn Statement last month, Chancellor George Osborne announced that local authorities would be given the flexibility to raise council tax by up to two per cent purely to fund adult social care.

But earlier this month council officers explained that the move could generate £31.8m over four years, but would fall short of the £49m of additional expected budget pressures to the adult social care department.

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BREAKING NEWS: Rail signal problems at Haywards Heath

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⚠Trains on the Southern line are being affected by signalling problems at Haywards Heath.

Officials say that services have to run at reduced speed on some northbound lines. ⚠

IPDATE: Train delays at Haywards Heath

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Trains through Haywards Heath are being delayed by up to 15 minutes because of signalling problems in the area.

Southern say the problems are affecting north-bound services.

UPDATE: Engineers working to resolve Haywards Heath rail problem

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Rail travellers can expect delays of up to 35 minutes on journeys through Haywards Heath this afternoon.

Network Rail says that there are signalling problems in the area but that engineers are now on site.

Disruptions are expected to continue until 4pm.

Woman jailed for £28,000 VAT fraud

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A woman from Turkey, who used counterfeit Border Force stamps on invoices in a bid to steal more than £28,000 of VAT, has been jailed for six months after an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs.

Aydan Yildirim, 30, was questioned by HMRC after officers from Sussex Police arrested her as she attempted to re-claim VAT on computers and telephone products she had bought at Gatwick Airport in November 2015.

Investigations revealed that she had presented the VAT invoices to claim a refund on goods bought, however, examination of the invoices revealed that she was using a fake Border Force stamp and she was subsequently arrested.

An HMRC spokesperson said later:“Yildirim was trying to make money dishonestly with the sole purpose of lining her own pockets with cash that should have been funding vital public services in the UK.

“Tax fraud is a serious offence and I urge anyone with information about people or businesses involved in tax fraud to contact the Customs hotline on 0800 59 5000.”

Yildirim, 30, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to two charges of fraud when she appeared at Crawley Magistrates last month. She was sentenced to six months in prison when she appeared at Lewes Crown court yesterday (22 December).

Yildirim had tried to reclaim VAT of £1,332.10. She was also found with invoices which would have resulted in a further claim for £26,738.70.

Woman on dangerous driving charge after mall security guard carried on car’s bonnet

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A woman has appeared in court accused of driving dangerously in County Mall’s car park and stealing items worth £110 from Debenhams.

Mary Totham, 29, entered no pleas when she appeared before Crawley magistrates today (Wednesday December 23).

It was alleged she drove a Vauxhall Astra dangerously in the shopping centre’s car park, Southgate Avenue and Haslett Avenue East, on October 8.

Gaynor Byng, prosecuting, said a security guard was carried on the car’s bonnet after he and another member of security attempted to stop the vehicle leaving the car park.

She said: “Somewhat miraculously [the man] only suffered some bruising on his leg.”

A car park exit barrier was smashed in the incident, a police statement has said.

Totham, of Gomshall Gardens, Kenley, Surrey, who was represented by Henry Dixon, was released on conditional bail to appear at Lewes Crown Court on January 22.

She was not to enter the Debenhams or County Mall’s car park.

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RAIL DELAY LATEST: Haywards Heath hold-ups

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Train delays are still causing problems at Haywards Heath.

Passengers face 35-minute hold-ups through the statin because of signalling problems. Officials say they hope to have the problem fixed by around 5.30 pm.

Meanwhile, they say that alternative travel options are available and that passengers can use trains operated by Gatwick Express, Southern or Thameslink between Brighton and London.

Tributes as one of Sussex’s ‘best ever’ players dies

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Tributes have been made to former Crawley Rugby Club star Brian York who has died of cancer aged 63.

He played for Crawley, Uckfield and Sussex in the 1960s and 70s as a second row lock and had trials for England.

Crawley president Dave Wilson said: “Brian was a superb rugby and basketball player.

“He was one of the best players ever to have played for Crawley. He was a big lad and his handling skills were very good.”

Brian’s wife Clair said: “He will be sorely missed after contracting such a devastating cancer which spread so aggressively and rapidly due to asbestos exposure.”

Brian also leaves three sons and two grandchildren. His funeral will be held at Kent and Sussex Crematorium on December 29 at 12.15pm.


Why Santa may have to mow his lawn this Christmas (well, he would if he lived in the UK)

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Forget presents and turkey, we’re all more likely than ever to be mowing our lawns this Christmas.

That’s according to the Woodland Trust.The charity has been recording signs of seasonal activity in a Nature’s Calendar study since 2000, one of which is the last date people mow their lawn in winter.

And they have found a huge difference in the number of lawns mown in December, with nearly four times as many in a warm year. And with the average temperature for the first half of December this year 3.2°C above the average, many lawns are likely to be cut. Over the last 50 years the average temperature in November has risen by 1.7°C.

Dr Kate Lewthwaite, Woodland Trust citizen science manager, said: “It may seem strange but recording the last time people mow their lawn each year provides a valuable insight into climate change. Nature’s Calendar records suggest it has become much more common to do so in December so it’s entirely possible Santa will need to get the lawnmower out once he’s delivered all his presents.”

So far this year the charity has records of lawns being cut in December in places as far afield as Exeter, Macclesfield and Cockermouth.

In December 2010, when Central England Temperature averaged -0.7°C, only 6% of recorders cut their grass in December. In contrast, in December 2014, when the CET averaged 5.2°C, 20% of recorders cut their grass in December. Over the last 13 years of records, the average has been 15%.

There is also, of course, considerable regional variation in these figures. In Scotland, no recorders cut their grass in December in either year. While in the South West of England, 9% of recorders cut their grass in December 2010, with an increase to 37% in December 2014.

To find out more about Nature’s Calendar or record if you cut your lawn over Christmas visit www.naturescalendar.org.uk

Road safety ‘crisis’ for cyclists in West Sussex

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A road safety ‘crisis’ for cyclists in West Sussex has seen the number of people killed or seriously injured on bicycles double in the last five years.

West Sussex County Council’s Road Safety Framework is currently being reviewed and a new draft proposes to adopt Vision Zero, a philosophy aiming to get to where there are no KSIs on the county’s roads.

Gavin Watts, director of communities and assistant chief fire officer at West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, said they recognised it was ‘not acceptable to drive on West Sussex roads and be at risk of harm’.

The number of people killed or seriously injured rose to 482 in 2014, up from 439 in 2013, according to a report discussed by West Sussex County Council’s Environmental and Community Services Select Committee on Monday December 14.

But fatalities are down compared to the 2005-2009 average, from 43 to 21, and the county council and fire service are aiming to reduce KSIs by a ‘whole system approach’, including engineering solutions, new technology, and behavioural change.

But Ruth Fletcher, chair of the Horsham District Cycling Forum, said: “There really is a road safety crisis in West Sussex for cycling. The number of KSIs has doubled since 2010. This has been a steady year-on-year increase. This is not some kind of blip.”

Speaking at a WSCC North Horsham County Local Committee meeting on the same day as the ECSSC meeting, she expressed concern that the new Road Safety Framework would not offer solutions that were going to work.

She added: “The road safety framework is not getting to grips with what is going on.”

New cycle lanes have been installed in Parsonage Way, Horsham, and Mrs Fletcher called them ‘substandard’, and added: “Far from making it better it’s now significantly worse then it was, and how can this possibly be happening in 2015, building 70cm cycle lanes?”

Brad Watson (Con, Nuthurst and Southwater), chairman of the committee, said the problem with retrofitting adequate cycling facilities was that the roads were not designed for that.

But he added: “Generations of motorists have not been exposed to cyclists in a significant number. That is something that needs to change.”

A briefing note sent by the West Sussex Cycle Forum to councillors asked if WSCC understood why cycle KSIs have risen so fast.

It suggested that a number of contributing factors may include an increase in antagonism towards cycling, a reduction in road policing, a lack of campaigns targeting motorist behaviour towards cyclists, mobile phone use, larger vehicles, and a lack of progress on adequate cycling infrastructure.

At the ECSSC meeting, Mr Watts said the Vision Zero concept was ‘not just a throwaway line’ and ‘needs to be an aim and an intent’, and one of their milestones was to reduce the KSIs by 25 per cent by 2020 indexed against the national baseline average for 2005-09.

He added: “We do not want to set ourselves up to fail but we want to make our roads consistently safer.”

He said the framework was about tackling issues such as improving safer interaction between cyclists, pedestrians and drivers, and how they made speeding as socially unacceptable as drink driving.

John Rogers (Con, Cissbury), vice chairman of ECSSC, said he would like to see more awareness campaigns targeting people in their early 20s to tell them ‘you could be the next set of flowers on the roadside’, and felt there were a number of ‘terrible’ road layouts in Worthing that had not been dealt with, especially at roundabouts.

Michael Jones (Lab, Southgate and Crawley Central) asked if 25 per cent was a realistic target, and added: “What are we going to be doing that we have not been doing before, and it begs the question why have we not been doing it before?”

Mr Watts thought 25 per cent was a realistic target, and said they would be aiming for greater community engagement than before, and rather than an 180 degree turn the new framework would be a ‘tap on the tiller’.

Philip Circus (Con, Storrington) felt driver behaviour at roundabouts was ‘appalling’ and added: “It seems to me all road users need to behave a lot better than they do.”

Andrew Barrett-Miles (Con, Burgess Hill Town) called the framework ‘good wishful thinking’ but did not see any ‘concrete plan’, but officers explained an action plan would follow after the updated framework was agreed.

Graham Tyler (Con, Rustington), chairman of the committee, said councillors broadly supported Vision Zero and efforts to improve the behaviour of all road users, and looked forward to seeing the final vision document.

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‘Santa’s sleigh’ will be visible in the skies today

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‘Santa’s sleigh’ will be visible in sky today (Christmas Eve) as the International Space Station, with Sussex astronaut Tim Peake, passes over UK.

If you are looking for a way to keep the little ones believing this year, get them to look up to the sky on Christmas Eve and you might just spot something special.

That’s because we could be getting a helping hand from NASA to bring Christmas magic to life.

Weather permitting the astronauts on the International Space Station will be passing over the UK today and can be passed off as Santa on his sleigh going about his important work.

The ISS is the largest man-made object in space and is bigger than a football pitch. It reflects the sun’s light as it passes overhead and so appears as a giant, star-like object moving across the night sky.

According to Virtual Astronomer, this year the ISS will pass over the UK in the late afternoon, rising in the west at 4.42pm, passing low in the sky and setting in the south east at 4.50pm.

Use NASA’s Spot the Station tool to find out exactly when you will be able to see the ISS, based on the location of your nearest town/city.

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Crawley’s Jimmy Smith looking forward to Stevenage reunion

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Jimmy Smith is looking forward to locking horns with his former club when Crawley Town host Stevenage Borough on Boxing Day.

Reds have a busy festive period with three games coming in quick succession.

They then visit Wycombe Wanderers on December 28 before another trip to Portsmouth on Saturday, January 2.

Smith said: “I enjoyed my time there even though we did get relegated.

“The game is against Stevenage, my old team, and a few of us have played for them – Jon Ashton and Simon Walton.

“There’s been a lot of changes - I played under Graham Westley which I enjoyed - Teddy Sheringham has gone in there now and I believe they are doing OK, but we are at home and need to get the three points.

“We have to put it right this week in training and work on mistakes and make sure we do everything we can to get the three points.”

Smith warned the players have to be careful not to overdo their festivities or they will be found out in terms of performance on the pitch. He said: “Everyone has to keep their body right over Christmas and not eat too much.

“You have to make sure you are prepared and ready to play because after the Stevenage game we only have one day to prepare for Wycombe away.

“It’s a busy time and you need to pick up points over the Christmas period.

“It’s down to yourself to make sure you are in the right frame of mind and are ready to play.”

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SUSSEX SPORT AT CHRISTMAS: Follow it live

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There’s a hectic holiday weekend of sport ahead across Sussex and you can follow it here.

Boxing Day sees a full programme of Football League, National League and Ryman League action plus Fontwell Park’s biggest jump-racing meeting of the year.

Brighton bid to return to the top of the Championship when they visit Brentford, while in League Two Crawley visit Barnet.

There’s a Sussex derby in the National League South as Eastbourne Borough host Whitehawk, while in the Ryman premier there’s another in the form of Bognor v Lewes. Burgess Hill go to Farnborough in the same division.

In Ryman one south, Hastings host Walton Casuals and Three Bridges visit East Grinstead.

The racing action at Fontwell Park begins at 12.20pm with the last of seven races off at 3.45pm.

Then Sunday and Monday bring more football, with Southern Combination League teams joining higher-league sides in further action.

Sunday sees promotion-chasing Worthing host Peacehaven, while on Monday Crawley play their second game in three days, with a visit to Wycombe; Eastbourne Borough go to Maidstone and Whitehawk host Ebbsfleet.

Monday also features a full programme of Southern Combination premier, division one and division two games, all kicking off at 11am apart from the Horsham derby which is at 2pm. Many other derbies are among games scheduled.

Brighton have another big game on Tuesday night when Ipswich visit the Amex. Hastings are back in action the same night with a trip to Molesey.

Our Sussex sport live blog - {http://www.chichester.co.uk/live/event?1731050|click here to link to it} - will include updates from our reporters and clubs and sporting venues across the county, including previews, goal flahses, results and reaction.

It’s the best way to keep tabs on all our local sport this Christmas.

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Christmas Eve train cancellations due to lack of staff

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Southern Rail services have been cancelled because of a lack of train crew.

Delays are expected to last for the whole of Christmas Eve, a spokesman said.

The operator’s website stated: “There may be various reasons for a member of train crew being unavailable, for example when the service is disrupted this can lead to train crews being displaced and unable to crew their next scheduled service.

“However, one of the underlying factors is that sometimes we do not have enough train crew to carry out both day-to-day operations and the large amount of training required to enable long-term passenger service improvements, without asking train crew to work rest days.”

It added: “Also, while we are recruiting and training, existing train crew retire and leave for personal reasons.

“As a result, there continues to be a risk of cancellations, in particular during periods of high annual leave – but we are steadily overcoming this.”

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East Stand renamed The People’s Pension Stand at Checkatrade.com Stadium

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Crawley Town Football Club will be tackling 2016 head-on with a bold new signing in the form of B&CE, the Crawley-based provider of The People’s Pension.

The firm, based in Manor Royal for more than five decades, has been unveiled as the brand new sponsor of the East Stand, which will be renamed ‘The People’s Pension Stand’ from Boxing Day onwards.

The People’s Pension is the largest private sector multi-employer pension scheme in the UK and a local success story for Crawley, with 1.8 million members and nearly 12,000 employers signed up nationwide. Members come from a diverse range of businesses, from big national high street retailers to small local firms.

Run by a not-for-profit company in B&CE, the scheme has recently launched a simple and supportive solution for smaller employers as they start to face their auto-enrolment duties as laid down by the Government from January 2016. Many are likely to be enrolling their staff into a pension scheme for the first time.

Patrick Heath-Lay, Chief Executive Officer of B&CE, said: “We’re immensely proud to be able to support Crawley Town FC. We’ve been in Crawley for more than 50 years now, and the vast majority of our staff are from the local area.

“Many of them are already Crawley Town fans, and we want to be able to give something back to them, the rest of the home fans and the wider local community.

“The club plays a really important role in the Crawley community, and we’re looking forward to being part of its bright future.”

Matt Turner, Director of Crawley Town Football Club, said: “I’m delighted to welcome B&CE to the Crawley Town family.

“This is a significant investment into the club and local community that illustrates the great work and relationships the club is building with the local business community.”

This follows the news {http://www.crawleyobserver.co.uk/sport/bruce-winfield-stand-to-be-renamed-as-the-structured-communications-stand-as-part-of-new-sponsorship-deal-1-7131761|the Bruce Winfield Stand will be renamed the Structured Communications Stand|story} as part of a new sponsorship deal.

Read more at http://www.crawleytownfc.com/news/article/crawley-town-peoples-pension-2865530.aspx#ACq8sqe0JGp3UqUQ.99

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Hughton looking to bounce back quickly

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Albion boss Chris Hughton believes it is vitally important his side bounce back quickly, following their first Championship defeat of the season on Saturday.

Hughton saw his side slip to a 3-0 defeat to Middlesbrough in their top-of-the-table clash at the Amex. That ended Brighton’s 21-game unbeaten start and also saw them drop a place to third.

Albion return to action on Boxing Day when they make the trip to Brentford, for a 1pm kick-off. The Bees recently appointed Dean Smith as boss and Hughton feels it is important his men get their promotion push back on track.

He said: “I think it’s vastly important we come away from Brentford with something.

“We have set such a high standard so far this season but we knew it was always going to be difficult to keep that run going.

“So, this is the challenge that we face now going into the game on Saturday after suffering our first loss.

“It’s great testament to this group for going unbeaten as long as we did but these are the challenges and after Brentford, we will have another tough game, then the same after that.

“This is something we have experienced all season but so has every other club.

“Our ambition is to be challenging and the only way to do that is making sure you get enough good results, so it’s very important we bounce back.”

Centre-back Uwe Hünemeier will miss the trip to Brentford with a groin strain but fellow defender Lewis Dunk is back from a one-game ban.

The trip to Griffin Park will come too soon for Sam Baldock and Kazenga LuaLua, while Gaetan Bong is set to return late January and Liam Rosenior in late February.

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It’s a wonderful life - well it is in Mid Sussex!

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It’s a wonderful life! - That’s the Christmas message from Mid Sussex District Council.

The district has been rated among the top 20 places to live in a survey of all 390 local authority districts in the UK by the Halifax.

The districts were judged on the availability of jobs, the quality of housing, the amount of public open space, access to local services, educational performance, quality of

healthcare and crime rates, as well as the weather, traffic and broadband access.

Overall, authorities in the South East dominate the top of the Halifax quality of life league table, with 27 of the top 50 based in the area and Mid Sussex rated at 16th.

Mid Sussex District Council leader Garry Wall said: “If, like me, you have lived here for many years it can be easy to take for granted just what a wonderful place Mid Sussex is to live and work.

“One of the main reasons Mid Sussex is such a great place to live is our thriving local economy. We have incredibly low levels of unemployment and, as a council, we do all we can to support local business growth.

“We recently opened our £2 million small business development centre in Haywards Heath and we’re fully behind growth projects like the proposed revitalisation of Burgess Hill town centre and the new business park on the edge of town because they will create over 3,000 new jobs for local people over the next few years.

“Good health is also extremely important and I’m proud that we will be making significant investments in our parks and leisure centres this year to help Mid Sussex residents stay fit and healthy.

“We have close-knit local communities that look after one another and really care about their local area. We’re currently hosting Neighbourhood Plan Referendums in towns and villages right across the district and many local people are relishing the opportunity to have a greater say over the future development of their community.”

‘Driving Home For Christmas’ is our favourite festive singalong

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One in five people appropriately choose ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ as their favourite song for their festive car journeys.

That’s according to a new survey published today - which also shows that 1 in 12 people leave their Christmas shopping so late that they buy their presents in motorway service areas.

Now Highways England is advising drivers not to take the same last-minute approach to their journeys this Christmas.

By 6am yesterday (Wednesday 23 December), 400 miles of roadworks were removed from England’s motorways and major A roads, leaving 98% of Highways England’s 9,534-mile network free of roadworks.

Highways England spokeswoman Melanie Clarke said: “While it’s not surprising maybe that Chris Rea’s song is a favourite to listen to in the car on festive trips, we don’t want people to take the same approach to their journeys as many do with buying gifts - leaving it until the last minute.

“To make those journeys home to loved ones this Christmas run as smoothly as possible, we’re advising drivers to plan longer journeys ahead of time and check weather and travel conditions before setting out.

“It’s also worth packing an emergency winter kit in your boot, before making any seasonal journeys this Christmas. Although it’s been unseasonably mild, make you’re prepared for any kind of weather and that you’ve got de-icer, an ice-scraper, warm clothes, boots and a torch, in case your vehicle breaks down.”

The survey showed Chris Rea’s hit, with 20% of the vote, beat The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’, which had 16% of the vote, putting them in second place. Slade’s ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’ came in at third place with 7% of people citing it as their favourite song for festive journeys.

And when it came to food, chocolate topped the list for the most-travelled food this Christmas. Two out of five people who are visiting friends and family in other parts of the country said that they plan to take chocolate on their visit – while nearly 3 in 5 say they plan to take alcohol.

The survey revealed that 8% of drivers have bought a Christmas present from a motorway service area or petrol station, or expect to this year – with chocolate taking the lead as the most common purchase, followed by flowers and alcohol.

It also found that 90%of people will be heading out to visit friends or family at some point over Christmas and New Year – with nearly 60% visiting two or more sets of friends or family across the period.

To help those journeys go more smoothly, Highways England will be removing almost 400 miles of roadworks this festive season. Melanie Clarke added: “We lifted or completed 148 schemes by 6am on Wednesday 23 December - leaving 98% of our 9,534-mile network free of roadworks in time for the holiday - and making it easier for people to travel around freely at Christmas time to see friends and family.”

To check real-time traffic information prior to a journey, drivers can use www.trafficengland.com.

Live traffic information is also available via Twitter (see the full list of channels at www.highways.gov.uk/twitter).Winter driving advice is available at www.metoffice.gov.uk/winterhighways, and regular winter updates can be found at www.facebook.com/winterhighways

Court results - Crawley

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The following are results from Sussex Northern magistrates sitting at Horsham and Crawley.

Nicholas Brown, 22, of Elsted Close, Crawley, was banned from driving for 18 months, with a £600 fine, a £30 victim surcharge, £85 costs, and a £150 criminal courts charge. He had pleaded guilty to drink driving, driving without insurance, and driving without a licence.

Stewart Mukombe, 37, of Horsham Road, Crawley, was fined £40, with a £20 victim surcharge, £85 costs, and a £150 criminal courts charge. He had pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly in Crawley.

Lee Buchan, 36, of Seaford Road, Broadfield, was jailed for four months, with an £80 victim surcharge, a £150 criminal courts charge. He had pleaded guilty to stealing DVDs and alcohol from Morrisons in Crawley, and admitted breaching a suspended sentence for possessing articles for use for theft.

George Ghica, 22, of Woodcock Hill, Felbridge, was fined £200, with a £20 victim surcharge, £85 costs, a £150 criminal courts charge, and six penalty points added to his licence. He had pleaded guilty to driving without insurance at Felbridge.

Simon Robinson, 37, of Evelyn Walk, Tilgate, was banned from driving for nine months, with a £200 fine, a £20 victim surcharge, and £85 costs. He had pleaded guilty to driving without insurance, driving without an MoT, and two counts of driving with an illegally worn tyre.

Jayne Vidler, 28, of Rowan Close, Guildford, was fined £220, with £24.17 vehicle excise back duty, £90 costs, and a £150 criminal courts charge. She had been convicted in her absence of keeping an unlicensed vehicle on a public road in Crawley.

Hakeem Stewart, 19, of Sapphire Close, Broadfield, was given a community order with 100 hours of unpaid work, a £60 victim surcharge, £85 costs, and a £180 criminal courts charge. He had pleaded guilty to stealing a charity box, and to possessing a pocket knife in a public place.

David Smith, 43, of St Cuthberts Close, Ripon, was banned from driving for a year, with a £120 fine, a £20 victim surcharge, £85 costs, and a £150 criminal courts charge. He had pleaded guilty to drink driving in Crawley.

Ross Singleton, 28, of no fixed address, was given a one month prison sentence, suspended for six months, with £75 compensation, £85 costs, and a £150 criminal courts charge. He had pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer in Crawley, and to failing to comply with a community order for common assault and for possessing a knife with a blade more than three inches long.

Erjon Malli, 34, of Tushmore Avenue, Crawley, was banned from driving for 17 months, with a £160 fine, a £20 victim surcharge, £85 costs, and a £150 criminal courts charge. He had pleaded guilty to failing to provide a breath alcohol specimen.

Ryan Higson, 27, of Letchworth Court, Bewbush, was jailed for 26 weeks, with an £80 victim surcharge, and a £180 criminal courts charge. He had pleaded guilty to theft from Tesco, Mothercare, Sainsbury’s, and a cosmetics firm, all in Crawley, and failing to answer bail, and admitted breaching the terms of an early release from prison, and breaching a suspended sentence.

Roman Rosko, 24, of Denchers Plat, Crawley, was given a six month conditional discharge, with £445.82 compensation, a £15 victim surcharge, and a £180 criminal courts charge. He had pleaded guilty to seven counts of making off without payment from a petrol station.

Guy Reid, 44, of Belhaven Terrace West, Glasgow, was fined £740, with £250 compensation, a £74 victim surcharge, and £625 costs. He had been found guilty of using racially aggravated threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour at Gatwick.

Peter Balchin, 58, of College Road, Southwater, was given a one year conditional discharge, with a £15 victim surcharge, £85 costs, and a £180 criminal courts charge. He had pleaded guilty to stealing perfume and a coat from Debenhams in Crawley.

Chane Hill, 43, of no fixed address, was fined £50, with a £15 victim surcharge, £85 costs, and a £150 criminal courts charge. He had pleaded guilty to stealing alcohol from Asda in Crawley, and to breaching a conditional discharge for shoplifting.

Andrew Longhurst, 24, of Shellwood Drive, North Holmwood, was banned from driving for 18 months, with a £270 fine, a £27 victim surcharge, £85 costs, and a £150 criminal courts charge. He had pleaded guilty to drink driving in Crawley.

Tamas Godollei, 24, of Five Acres, Crawley, was fined £750, with a £37 victim surcharge, £310 costs, a £520 criminal courts charge, and ten penalty points added to his licence. He had been found guilty of driving without insurance, and drink driving in Crawley.

Viktor Szule, 22, of Five Acres, Crawley, was banned from driving for 20 months, with a £1,400 fine, a £52 victim surcharge, £310 costs. He had been found guilty of drink driving, driving without insurance, driving without a licence, and driving without due care and attention in Crawley.

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Fatality adds to Christmas Eve train chaos

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Train cancellations and delays due to a lack of staff have been worsened after a man was hit by a train.

Passengers face delays at East Croydon for up to an hour until at least 3pm while emergency services were at the scene, said Southern.

A spokesman said cancellations and delays due to a shortage of train crew were expected to last for the whole of Christmas Eve.

Patrick Newman, a reader, said: “Train operators obviously have been astonished about Christmas suddenly appearing on 25th December.

“This is rank poor management and passengers should not be expected to pay for it with inconvenience and their own money!”

On social media, Ben Wilson said: “In other words they [staff] have decided to take their rostered days off to spend with their families!”

Southern Rail’s website stated: “There may be various reasons for a member of train crew being unavailable, for example when the service is disrupted this can lead to train crews being displaced and unable to crew their next scheduled service.

“However, one of the underlying factors is that sometimes we do not have enough train crew to carry out both day-to-day operations and the large amount of training required to enable long-term passenger service improvements, without asking train crew to work rest days.”

It added: “Also, while we are recruiting and training, existing train crew retire and leave for personal reasons.

“As a result, there continues to be a risk of cancellations, in particular during periods of high annual leave – but we are steadily overcoming this.”

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