Sussex thrash Glamorgan by 98 runs to keep their T20 hopes alive after superb bowling from Rashid Khan, Tymal Mills and Chris Jordan

Rebecca Curley
Local Democracy Reporter

Campaigners trying to stop a pub being built on a village recreation ground in Surrey have submitted a complaint about their council to the Charity Commission.

Save West Byfleet Recreation Ground Campaign Group say Woking Borough Council failed to fulfil its legal duties as sole trustee of the Recreation Ground Charity. They claim a proposal to sell part of the land to pub and brewery operator Marstons is "unlawful".

Woking Borough Council is in the last few days of a consultation over the future of the recreation ground and plans to refurbish it.

Image source, LDR

Sarah Booker-Lewis
Local Democracy Reporter

A new autism centre could be built at a Brighton secondary school.

A charitable organisation, The Cullum Family Trust, is considering making a donation of about £1m which would pay for the new building at Dorothy Stringer School.

The trust, which has links to Sussex, and the National Autistic Society, have been in talks with Brighton and Hove City Council. As well as the specialist centre at Dorothy Stringer, the existing Phoenix Centre at Hove Park upper and lower schools would be given a makeover.

The new building at Dorothy Stringer would support a total of 20 children through mainstream education, starting with the first four Year 7 children from September next year.

A further £500,000 in extra special educational needs funding would come from the Department for Education over three years.

Image source, Google Maps

Pet gets stuck exploring her new surroundings after her family's move to a new home in Ashford, Kent.

Image source, Google

Part of the M20 will be closed each night until Friday for roadworks, Highways England has confirmed.

The affected section between junctions six and seven at Maidstone will be closed from 20:00 BST until 06:00 BST.

Highways England said a "clearly-signed diversion" will be in place.

The agency said the work would replace "timing traffic count loops" in the carriageway as well as some resurfacing.

Andrew O'Connell, from Kent, died after he was attacked at Brighton's Royal Pavilion Gardens.

Maria Caulfield is sending constituents' emails about Southern rail to the transport secretary.

Police in Sussex are appealing for witnesses following graffiti damage to a former lifeboat station at Rye Harbour.

The Mary Stanford Lifeboat House closed following a disaster when the whole of the crew of the lifeboat perished trying to save lives in 1928.

A charity is trying to raise funds to restore it, but police says it's feared the graffiti could leave a "permanent scar".

Image source, Sussex Police

Five-year-old Otto Barwell from Hove has always struggled to walk and run because of cerebral palsy. Seven months ago he went to the United States for surgery to improve his mobility.

Since then he's re-learned how to use his legs, without the stiffness which restricted his life. He's even entering a paratriathlon.

The Independent Office of Police Conduct has been investigating officers over the Stephen Port case.

Sue Nicholson
BBC News

Image source, Maria Caulfield

Emails to Lewes MP Maria Caulfield from constituents who have had "a terrible experience on Southern rail" are being sent to the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling on a weekly basis "so he can read for himself how bad the rail service is in Lewes".

"Despite raising these complaints in the House of Commons, I am frequently told by ministers that the official figures show Southern rail are performing well," she said.

"I know residents' experiences are very different. Therefore I am sending each and every email to the Secretary of State to highlight the reality."

In March, Govia Thameslink, which runs Southern, published a "detailed improvement plan, external".

In a statement today, it said Southern's punctuality and reliability had "recovered strongly since last Autumn when services were affected by RMT industrial action and frequent infrastructure faults, some weather-related".

It added: "This June, following the introduction of the new timetable, was Southern's best month for nearly four years, with almost nine in every ten trains running on time.

"We would like to assure everyone that we are doing everything we can to sustain improvements as we continue to work with Network Rail to modernise the railway."

Dozens were injured, including 10 children, when a coach overturned on the motorway during rush hour.

Rebecca Curley
Local Democracy Reporter

An accounting mistake has wiped a theoretical £5.4m off Guildford Borough Council's assets, it has disclosed.

An audit review discovered that the lease relating to the town's Onslow park and ride - which the council operates on land owned by the University of Surrey - had erroneously been classified as a finance lease, with a value of £5.36m.

As a result of the audit, carried out by Grant Thornton, the lease has been reclassified as an operating lease, with a nil value, councillors were told at a meeting of the corporate governance and standards committee.

But the council stresses that the change in lease valuation will have no impact on council funds.

Guildford Borough Council pays a peppercorn rent to the university for the Onslow site, close to the A3, for which it has to pay for repairs and maintenance.

Parking is free.

Director of finance Claire Morris said: "Really, the only real value is the land value, and because it's a peppercorn lease to us, there is no asset on our balance sheet because the asset sits with the freeholder - which is the university."

A council spokeswoman said: "Upon review of the query raised by the auditors regarding the increase in valuation of the site during 2017-18... the director of finance has now reviewed the lease and determined that it is, in fact, an operating lease of land only and that it had been misclassified as a finance lease by mistake.

"The impact of the misclassification is that the value of the asset should not be included within the Council's 2017-18 accounts under our current accounting policies.

"As Guildford Borough Council did not pay for the site originally, this matter relates to accounting book values on revaluation only and is not a cash transaction, so there is no impact of this transaction on council tax payers."

She said a review of accounting standards next year is likely to bring Onslow park and ride back on the council's balance sheet.

Ross Edgley set off 74 days ago in his attempt to swim 2,000 miles around mainland Great Britain.

Image source, Andrei Branescu

The coach company at the centre of a crash on the M25 at Swanley yesterday afternoon has released a statement.

At least three people who were injured when the coach they were in overturned on the M25 motorway remain in hospital.

Dozens were hurt - including 10 children - when the vehicle came off the motorway near junction three at Swanley, Kent, at 16:00 BST.

Surrey's first LGBT Pride festival will be held in Woking next year.

It will be held on 10 August in Woking Park. The town has been chosen for its good transport links and accessibility.

The Mayor of Woking, Will Forster said: "We are delighted that Woking will host the inaugural Pride in Surrey parade."

Image source, Pride in Surrey

Image source, KFRS

A 12-week-old boxer puppy had to be rescued by firefighters after getting stuck in a gap between a house and a shed.

The puppy, called Holly, got stuck after exploring her new home in Ashford yesterday.

Her owners called Kent Fire and Rescue Service after struggling to free her.

The animal rescue unit managed to free the puppy using hydraulic rescue equipment, moving the shed away from the house.

Afterwards Holly enjoyed a cuddle with the firefighters who rescued her.

Image source, KFRS

Huw Oxburgh
Local Democracy Reporter

Image source, East Sussex County Council

People planning to travel to Eastbourne for the town's annual Airbourne festival have been advised of extra parking restrictions this year.

Parts of the town's seafront will be closed off to motorists throughout the four-day festival, which begins on Thursday.

An East Sussex County Council spokesman said additional parking restrictions would include the closure of a section of King Edward's Parade to all traffic and the closure of Jevington Gardens, Wilmington Square, Carlisle Road south of Compton Street, Devonshire Place and Cavendish Place to all traffic except for access.

Lascelles Terrace, Howard Square, Burlington Place and a section of Grand Parade between Lascelles Terrace and Devonshire Place will be closed on Sunday evening only.

Parking suspensions will also be in place throughout the event in Cavendish Place and in sections of King Edward's Parade and Grand Parade.

The spokesman added: "Unlike last year, there will be no additional restrictions preventing motor homes from parking along the seafront."

Andy Morse says he twice tried to take his life because of the lashings he received from John Smyth.