A group of anti-fracking activists from Sussex have caused a stir after transforming The Long Man of Wilmington into a protester this morning (October 16).

Protest group Don’t Frack With Sussex transformed the icon hill figure as a protest against Hastings MP Amber Rudd, who is also Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

The group used large tarpaulin letters to spell out the message “Frack Off”, causing no damage to the historic landmark.

Protestor Mike Laloë said, “We did our homework to make sure we didn’t do any damage to The Long Man. What we did was totally legal and the police were really supportive.

“We did get a little bit of abuse from a farmer who told us ‘don’t do your fracking here’.”

The protesters are constituents of Amber Rudd and say her policies on fracking will hurt the Sussex countryside.

The protest comes as several fracking companies seek planning permission for sites in Sussex.

They include two sites – Wisborough Green and Linchmere West – which are near to the border of the South Downs National Park.

Beccy Mccray said,“It is so shortsighted to pursue fracking in this area especially when there is such a large amount of untapped green energy.

“We have more wind and sunshine here in Sussex than almost anywhere in the UK.”

The protesters were able to set up the sign in the early hours of this morning.

A police spokesman said, ”Police were made aware of a sign at The Long man of Wilmington around 8.20am on Friday, October 16.

“The protesters have been spoken to at the site and officers are monitoring the situation.”

As well as raising awareness of fracking issues in the South East the group has set up a petition calling on Amber Rudd to commit to renewable energy rather than fracking.

It is available online {https://www.change.org/p/amber-rudd-mp-don-t-frack-with-sussex?recruiter=403042384&utm_source=share_for_starters&utm_medium=copyLin|here}

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A motorcyclist has been seriously injured following a crash in Crawley.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said Tollgate Hill has been closed while emergency services were at the scene.

She added: “Please be aware if you are travelling in the area as the slip road from the A23 northbound is closed.”

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A motorcyclist was taken to hospital after crashing into a barrier near the M23 Pease Pottage roundabout, South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) has said.

Emergency services were called to the scene at around 12.30pm today (Friday October 16).

A SECAmb spokesman said paramedics drove the man in his 30s who suffered leg and arm injuries to St George’s Hospital in Tooting, London.

Two ambulances, a paramedic car and the air ambulance were called.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said Tollgate Hill was closed while emergency services were at the scene. The slip road from the A23 northbound was also closed.

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Drivers across Sussex are being warned that they are three times more likely to be involved in a traffic related accident even after consuming just one drink versus being sober.

Statistics from Drinkaware show that on average 3,000 people are killed or seriously injured each year in drink-drive collisions accounting for 16 per cent of all road deaths in Britain.

Suzannah Robin, alcohol safety expert and sales and training director at AlcoDigital, supplier of breathalyzers, said: “Many people believe they are still safe to drive after just one drink.

“However, what they don’t realise is even if they believe they are under the legal limit or it is the morning after, they are still at a much higher risk of being involved in a driving related incident than if they were sober.

“In fact nearly one in five people who are convicted of drink-driving are caught the morning after.”

Experts and drinking charities are urging for the legal limit in England and Wales to be reduced from 80mg Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) to fall in line with Scotland’s ‘zero tolerance’ level of 50mg BAC.

Suzannah added: “The only safe level when driving is zero. This also applies to the morning after. We are urging all drivers to be responsible and make alternative arrangements for getting home if they plan to drink.

“A personal breathalyzer kept at home will help you to determine whether there is any alcohol in your system and if you are fit to drive the next day.”

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A shortage of CPR skills and awareness in Sussex and the South East is putting lives at risk, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) warns.

Just 38 per cent of people in the region would be confident of performing immediate CPR if someone collapsed in front of them putting lives at risk, it said.

Performing immediate CPR can in some cases double a person’s chance of survival, but with less than half (48 per cent) of people in the South East trained in CPR, there is a shortage of skills and awareness that is putting lives at risk.

The BHF says people are reluctant to perform CPR because they are unsure whether a person has experienced a cardiac arrest, they lack training and confidence, and they fear causing more harm than good.

A survey of people in the region found 63 per cent of people would be worried about knowing what to do if someone collapsed from a cardiac arrest in front of them, 61 per cent of these people said that they would worry about making things worse by trying to help, 39 per cent admitted they would feel helpless, and only 18 per cent of people could correctly identify the signs of cardiac arrest.

Research funded by the charity has found that bystanders who witness a cardiac arrest perform CPR in only four out of 10 cases across England. This compares with much higher bystander intervention rates of more than seven in ten (73 per cent) in Norway.

To improve survival rates and train more people in CPR, the BHF launched its Mission CPR campaign yesterday (Friday, October 16) that saw thousands of schoolchildren learn CPR on the day.

Mission CPR is part of the BHF’s Nation of Lifesavers campaign which aims to equip all young people and adults with the CPR skills to save a life.

Since its launch one year ago, more than 1,300 schools across the UK have been given free CPR training kits by the BHF to teach young people how to save a life.

Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, said: “It is worrying that so few people in the South East would feel confident to perform CPR if someone collapsed with a cardiac arrest in front of them.

“When someone has a cardiac arrest, every second counts, and immediate CPR can double their chance of survival in some cases.

“Thousands of people still lack these skills and we know that many more lives in the South East could be saved if more people felt confident and able to intervene. We need as many people as possible to learn CPR and become a potential life saver.”

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The road across Sussex this morning (Saturday, October 17) appear to be free of congestion but some train services across the county are affected by engineering works over the weekend.

Southern’s service between Hurst Green and Uckfield is closed today and tomorrow (Sunday, October 18) and buses replace train services between Oxted and Uckfield.

Tomorrow, engineering work is taking place between Polegate and Bexhill, closing the line.

Southern is laying on replacement bus services between both towns, extending journey times by up to an hour.

Southeastern, which runs trains from Hastings, Battle and Tunbridge Wells to London Charing Cross, said engineering works tomorrow will close the line between Battle and Tunbridge Wells, with replacement bus services running instead.

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Town criers from near and far gathered in a Sussex town today (Saturday, October 17) to compete in the 63rd National Town Criers Championship.

More than 20 contestants from around the country took part in the event in Hastings, including entrants from the Netherlands and Belgium.

The event was compered by Hastings’ own town crier, Jon Bartholomew, and saw performances of the criers judged on volume, diction, clarity and inflection.

Peter White, who has been town crier of Seaford since 1977, was one of the entrants.

He said: “I’ve taken part almost every year since 1980. The highest I’ve come so far has been third place but I enjoy coming along as it’s my local competition. It really is all about taking part.

“It’s keeping a tradition going and Seaford has had a town crier since 1865. You meet an amazing bunch of people.

“Most of the town crying I do is for charity events, musicals or to publicise events. I’ve done some odd things though, like leading a bride down the altar.”

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Passengers using trains across Sussex today (Sunday, October 18) face disruption to services because of engineering works.

Southern’s service between Hurst Green and Uckfield is closed today and buses replace train services between Oxted and Uckfield.

Engineering work is also taking place between Polegate and Bexhill, closing the line.

Southern, which runs trains from Hastings, Bexhill and Lewes to Brighton and London Victoria, is supplying replacement bus services between both towns. But passengers’ journey times are expected to take an extra hour.

All day today, a reduced service will be running between London Victoria and Brighton.

Gatwick Express services will operate, with London Victoria to Gatwick Airport trains will depart on the hour and 30 minutes past each hour. Gatwick Airport to London Victoria trains will depart at 20 and 50 minutes past each hour.

Southeastern, which runs trains from Hastings, Battle and Tunbridge Wells to London Charing Cross, said engineering works today have closed the line between Battle and Tunbridge Wells.

Replacement bus services are running instead.

It is good news for motorists as so far this morning there are no reports of congestion affecting the main roads across the county.

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Cowboy technicians are putting lives at risk across Sussex by failing to perform basic safety checks when servicing boilers, leaving households with ineffective and potentially dangerous heating systems in the run up to winter.

An investigation by consumer group Which? found that eight out of the 10 gas technicians it secretly filmed failed to meet the minimum legal requirements for a boiler service with two technicians not even taking the case off the boiler to inspect it.

While the report focused on gas technicians, all types of boiler, if not properly serviced, can cause carbon monoxide poisoning, which kills an average of 40 people and hospitalises a further 200 every year.

Households who use unqualified technicians are most likely to be at risk.

In response, OFTEC, the UK trade body for oil heating, is urging homeowners to be more vigilant about employing unqualified technicians and to check a technician is fully competent before they start work.

All competent technicians will have an identity card showing the areas of work they are trained to do.

Consumers should report rogue tradesman to their local trading standards office and, if they suspect their heating systems could be dangerous, they should turn it off and get it checked immediately.

Malcolm Farrow, of OFTEC, said: “The months leading up to winter are typically the busiest time for technicians servicing boilers. Unfortunately, there could be unqualified rogue tradesmen in Sussex who put people at risk by cutting corners and failing to perform the necessary safety checks. We strongly urge homeowners to use a competent person such as an OFTEC registered technician for oil boilers or a Gas Safe registered technician for gas boilers.”

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New research has revealed how we spend our Sundays in Sussex and the South East.

Having a lie in, watching TV, going for a walk, catching up on things we didn’t do during the week and of course the Sunday roast is still the cornerstone of the British Sunday, according to the survey by Weber® barbecues.

A total of 45 per cent of the South East claim there is nothing they don’t like about a Sunday, although almost one in four experience ‘Sunday night fear’.

Unlike days gone by, only one in five in the South East manages to sit down to a traditional Sunday dinner every week.

People in Northern Ireland are the most traditional with a third enjoying a roast every Sunday with extended family and friends.

The Sunday dinner remains a family affair with more than two thirds (69 per cent) of those from the South East sharing their Sunday with their immediate family.

Topping the South East’s poll of Sunday best is roast beef, with more than a quarter of people preferring this meat choice, followed by roast lamb and roast chicken.

The survey was conducted with 2,009 adults by OnePoll on behalf of Weber® barbecues.

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The weather across Sussex over the coming week is set to be a mixed bag, with chilly autumnal conditions prevailing.

High pressure is expected to dominate in the region, as well as most of the UK. Winds will be mainly easterly but it will be markedly chilly.

Many areas will see sunny spells tomorrow (Monday, October 19), Tuesday (October 20) and Wednesday (October 21) but overnight temperatures could drop sharply, leading to frost in some places.

On Wednesday, Sussex and the South East will see the risk of an occasional sharp shower.

According to the Met Office, the outcome from Tuesday to Thursday (October 22) for Sussex and the South East is mainly dry.

There will be winds with occasional drizzly rain on Wednesday and Thursday but these should ease later on Thursday, with it becoming brighter.

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Have you got a charger I can use?"

That is frequently asked when people visit my house. They understandably don’t want to lug a heavy charger around with them all day and like me they start looking anxiously at their phone when the battery starts running low.

That’s the real problem, the battery seems to run low very quickly. In fact I recall several occasions while out with my family, where I have been happily taking photos with my smartphone only to discover that it has run out halfway through the outing.

Not ideal.

Now taking photos and the occasional bit of film should give you an indication as to what not to do if you want to extend the battery life of your phone. Using apps uses energy. Some are worse than others. Playing games and watching movies is notorious for draining the battery fast. So the rule of thumb is, if you want to save your battery for that all important phone call, stop using your apps unless you really have to.

Using your smartphone as a GPS device is a double whammy. The app uses a lot of energy AND it uses energy searching for the GPS signal. Similarly, if you are out and about (and who isn’t when you have a mobile phone) turn off blue tooth and WiFi. When they are active your phone will constantly be searching for things to connect with. That uses energy needlessly.

If you are in an area with poor reception, consider switching your phone to aeroplane mode, or turning off 3G/4G. That will stop it futilely searching for a network connection that isn’t there and using up energy for no reason at all. Just remember to take it off aeroplane mode and switch 3G/4G back on when you need to use your phone again.

Some or all of the things above may be available as a battery saving option on your phone. Usually a notification appears when the battery is running low, but you should be able to turn it on manually. Devices vary, so check the instructions for your device to find the right setting.

Finally, it used to be that you could walk around with a spare battery for those times when your phone ran out. A lot of smartphones don’t allow you to change the batter these days, but have no fear! There are portable USB battery packs that will get you out of a bind in a pinch.

Alan Stainer
https://www.alansitsolutions.com/

A missing teenager from Burgess Hill has been found.

Police said 15-year-old Destiny Fossey returned home on Friday afternoon (October 16).

She was reported missing last week.

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A man has been airlifted to hospital after a car and a coach collided this morning (Monday October 19).

Emergency services were called to Turners Hill Road, in Turners Hill near to Tulleys Farm, at around 8am.

One man, the driver of the car, was trapped in the collision and was released by fire crews.

Two ambulances and an Air Ambulance were sent to the scene.

A spokesman from South East Coast Ambulance Service said the man suffered leg injuries and was taken to St George’s Hospital, in Tooting, by Air Ambulance.

The coach driver also suffered minor injuries and was taken to East Surrey Hospital, in Redhill, for further checks.

The road has been closed at the junction with Wallage Lane.

Motorists are being asked to avoid the area and find an alternative route.

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Police have arrested one woman and are seeking another after an incident at County Mall in Crawley where a staff member was injured in a collision with a car.

A police spokesman said two women, who had a young child with them, entered Debenhams in the shopping centre between 1.30pm and 2pm on Thursday, October 8, and selected items before walking out without paying.

Staff were alerted to the suspected theft and followed the suspects into the car park, where they got into a car parked in a parent and child bay.

Police said the vehicle reversed out of the bay narrowly missing one member of staff and collided with another, leaving him with a slight injury to his leg.

The car drove through a barrier of shopping centre car park, breaking it, and onto Three Bridges Road.

A 29-year-old woman from Surrey was arrested on suspicion of theft, dangerous driving and common assault later that evening in Surrey and has been released on bail until November 25.

A second women described as being Asian, slim, about 30, dressed all in black and carrying a brown coloured hand bag is still be sought by police.

If anyone saw the incident or has information they are asked to contact police on 101 quoting serial 698 08/10.

The son of missing peer Lord Lucan, who was last seen alive in Sussex and whose bloodied car was later found by the coast, has applied to have his father declared “presumed dead”.

George Bingham took out a public notice in last week’s {http://www.westendextra.com/lordlucan|West End Extra} newspaper announcing the start of legal proceedings which, if successful, could lead to a death certificate being issued and the Earl’s title being inherited.

Lord Lucan disappeared from his home in central London in 1974 following the death of the family nanny, Sandra Rivett.

He was seen shortly after Ms Rivett’s death at a friend’s house in Uckfield and his car was later found abandoned and covered in blood in Norman Road, Newhaven.

He was never seen or heard from again and a jury at the inquest into Ms Rivett’s death, held a year later, found he murdered her.

Lord Lucan was officially declared dead by the High Court in 1999 but Mr Bingham told West End Extra this declaration had not proved death “for all purposes” and was applying to the High Court under the Presumption of Death Act for “closure”.

The Presumption of Death Act was the result of a campaign supported by relatives of high-profile missing people. It allows close relatives to apply for a death certificate when their loved ones have been missing for seven years or more, helping them with any financial or legal issues that may have ensued when trying to resolve missing person’s affairs without a death certificate.

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New playground equipment in the Richmond Way area of East Grinstead is now open and ready to use, giving local children and their families a more enjoyable way to play.

The £19,000 play area has been installed by Mid Sussex District Council and was officially unveiled by Councillor Pru Moore, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Sustainability and Councillor Dick Sweatman, Mayor of East Grinstead on Wednesday 14 October 2015.

The upgraded playground features a new climbing frame, monkey bars, a slide, balance beam and new swings. The play area has been completely resurfaced with bouncy material to provide children with softer landings and to improve safety.

The new playground lies on the Meridian Line, a geographical marker that runs from the North to South Pole and divides the world from East to West.

The Meridian has been incorporated into the new playground design, with different coloured flooring on either side so youngsters can see which side of the world they are on.

Children can slide down a fireman’s pole or climb a rope net in the Western Hemisphere then run over to play on the swings at the other side of the playground in the Eastern Hemisphere.

“This small and colourful new playground is perfect for young children,” said Councillor Pru Moore, Mid Sussex District Council Cabinet Member for Leisure and Sustainability. “The equipment is designed just for little ones, so they can feel safe playing in a secluded spot with mum and dad without having to worry about older children running around.

“We’ve used wooden frames so that the new playground fits in well with the woodland behind and the climbing frame has brightly coloured panels to make it exciting for young children. All the equipment is now open and ready to use so if you live locally and have young children please come on down and give it a try.”

For more information about playgrounds or parks in Mid Sussex, contact the Mid Sussex District Council Landscapes team on 01444 477439 or visit www.midsussex.gov.uk/playgrounds.

A Cuckfield woman has been given the green light to fight to keep developers off land which has been used as a village play area.

The woman has been told she can take Mid Sussex District Council to the High Court over their grant of planning consent for the controversial scheme.

One of the country’s top judges gave the go-ahead for Felicity Irving to mount a fully contested legal battle over the scheme to build a house on the council owned land.

In giving Mrs Irving permission for a full hearing Mr Justice Mitting said that Government planning policy relating to such developments was unclear.

In seeking permission for the challenge, Mrs Irving’s lawyer, Andrew Sharland, argued at the court in London today that the meadow “is important to the whole village.”

He told the judge that until recently local children played on the land and it was also used by the nursery. They would, he said be “locked out” if the development goes ahead.

“This is a very controversial decision. It has generated a huge amount of controversy,” he said.

In giving the go-ahead for what has the promise of being a legally complex case, the judge agreed with Mr Sharland that paragraphs 14 and 49 of the National Planning Policy Framework appeared to be “in tension.”

The judge said that a Government lawyer should be invited to attend the appeal to help sort out the issue.

Paragraph 14 relates to the approval of developments when they accord with local development plans. Paragraph 49 relates to the protection and enhancement of the countryside.

No date has been fixed for the case to be heard.

Residents of Plumpton will have to wait another month before the road by the level crossing is reopened.

A public meeting was held on Friday (October 16), chaired by Lewes MP Maria Caulfield, after the crossing was closed by Network Rail due to health and safety concerns.

Local residents have said the closure split their village in half.

At the meeting, Network Rail announced plans to remove the level crossing gates and reopen the road by mid-November.

The crossing has been closed since September 25 and since then more than 600 people have signed a petition to get the crossing reopened, with many having to take a detour of up to seven miles to get to the other side of the village.

The Pluumpton barrier has listed status.

Following reviews with experts and Lewes District Council this week, Network Rail said the quickest and safest way to reopen the crossing was to install a full-width barrier crossing with automatic object detection equipment.

This will begin immediately with the intention to open the road within five weeks, it added.

Network Rail intends to remove the listed gates to the crossing over the weekend of October 24 and 25.

It added they will be ‘stored safely’ until a long-term solution for the crossing has been determined with full consent from Lewes District Council.

Network Rail will also be appealing against Lewes District Council’s decision to refuse planning permission to replace the gates with a more modern solution.

It added it will be submitting a new application for listed buildings consent.

“We will work with the parish, district and county councils to address a number of issues raised in the meeting, including signage and measures to help people with personal mobility issues,” a spokesman said.

Alasdair Coates, Network Rail route managing director for the South East, said: “It’s clear many people will be disappointed by this decision but the community were clear that the priority for them is to reopen the road as quickly and safely as possible.

“The solution announced this evening is the only option that will allow us to do that.

“The Plumpton level crossing gates will be carefully removed and stored while the appeal and new application for listed buildings consent is pursued.”

Police have released CCTV footage of two people they would like to speak with after criminal damage was caused in High Street, Storrington.

Sussex Police said a number of plants were pulled from flower beds, a metal bin was thrown around and street furniture was damaged during the early hours of Saturday (October 4).

PC Nadine Curtis said: “We would like to speak with anyone who may have seen what happened at around 4am on that Saturday, as well as the two people seen in the CCTV footage.

“Witnesses can email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or call 101 quoting reference 0678 of 04/10.”

To view the CCTV footage go to the Youtube link https://youtu.be/lx45JHuABjM

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