Police are seeking witnesses after a shopkeeper was attacked and robbed on his own doorstep.

The 54-year-old victim was confronted by intruders at his home in Howlands Court, Commonwealth Drive, in Crawley, at approximately 23:00 GMT on 11 December.

He suffered serious injuries, including several broken ribs, which subsequently required hospital treatment.

His wife was also assaulted and threats were made demanding money.

Jewellery, cash and passports were stolen after the burglars ransacked the couple's home.

A car crash in a Kent village has led to the arrest of the driver for suspected firearms, money-laundering and drugs offences.

The 31-year-old man, from Hurst Green, East Sussex, was arrested on Saturday night after the Vauxhall Insignia police say he was driving crashed into a telegraph pole in Clay Hill Road, Lamberhurst.

Kent Police said they seized "a substantial quantity" of cash from the car, leading to an arrest in connection with money laundering and driving while under the influence of drugs.

But following a search of the man's home, police seized a shotgun and ammunition and further arrested him on suspicion of possessing firearms and ammunition without a certificate.

He has been released pending further investigations.

Karen Dunn
Local Democracy Reporter

The call for more women to stand for election has been shouted from County Hall in West Sussex once again.

One-third of the county's councillors are women, which is higher than the national average, but it has been said in the past that more needs to be done to improve that figure.

In a notice of motion to the council, Conservative councillor Hilary Flynn asked colleagues to support efforts to persuade more women to put themselves forward for the 2021 elections.

With Suffrage rosettes pinned to their clothes, members celebrated the first two women on the council - Ellen Chapman and the Honourable Evelyn Gladys Cecil.

The pair were elected in 1919, representing Worthing and Bognor respectively, with Mrs Chapman going on to be the county's first mayor in 1920.

Ms Flynn said: "We owe it to the determination of women like Evelyn Cecil and Ellen Chapman to strive to have councillors and Parliamentarians who truly reflect the people we represent.

"If we have a diverse council we will attract a diversity of potential councillors.

"It is incumbent upon all of us to make this happen."

The fact that West Sussex has a female council leader in Louise Goldsmith is also something of a novelty - the national statistics are fewer than one in five.

In addition, four of the nine cabinet members are women.

Karen Dunn
Local Democracy Reporter

Plans to build a private traveller caravan site on a plot of land in Thakeham have been turned down.

The application for the spot, which is situated between Cray's Lane and Duke's Hill and can only be reached via a trackway, was considered by Horsham District Council on Tuesday.

The council received objections from 66 homes as well as Thakeham Parish Council.

The application was refused by eight votes to seven on the grounds it was in an unsustainable location.

Sarah Booker-Lewis
Local Democracy Reporter

A new vegan restaurant has been granted a licence to sell alcoholic drinks but with restricted hours.

The restaurant, planned for Gloucester Road, Brighton, is within the "cumulative impact zone" where Brighton and Hove City Council restricts the number of new licensed premises.

The drinks licence application was opposed by representatives from the North Laine Community Association.

They said that adding another licensed restaurant to those already in the area would result in increased anti-social behaviour.

But the council's licensing department said: "The applicants point to the modest nature of the application and their pre-consultation with responsible authorities and conditions they have agreed with the police."

Caitlin Webb
Local Democracy Reporter

More than half of Kent County Council workers do not have confidence in decisions made by senior managers and directors, according to an internal survey of more than 4,000 staff.

Some 37% thought they were not paid appropriately, a memo seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed.

The public sector union Unison said concerns needed to be addressed.

At Thursday's full council meeting, leader Paul Carter said: "We must make our best endeavours to change."

Huw Oxburgh
Local Democracy Reporter

Rother District Council is considering waiving business rates on ATMs where they are the last remaining within a community, following a meeting this week.

At a full council meeting on Monday councillors unanimously backed a motion calling on the council to grant business rate relief to external ATMs where the machine is the only one in the high street.

It was put forward by Liberal Democrat councillor Kathryn Field - after the loss of the last external ATM in her Battle ward.

She said she spoke with a business owner about changing their internal ATM to an external ATM. The business owner was supportive of the idea but said the business rates would cost more than the commission received.

Ms Field added: "If the drawback to an external ATM is that you have got to pay business rates then I think we should have a policy which says, where the ATM is the last one in town it should be business rate free."

The motion received cross-party support, however the Valuation Office Agency is currently embroiled in an on-going court case on the issue of business rates for ATMs and an appeal is being heard at the Supreme Court.

Conservative councillor Simon Elford (Bexhill St Michaels) asked for an amendment, making the motion subject to the outcome of the VOA's appeal, which was agreed.

Karen Dunn
Local Democracy Reporter

West Sussex County Council is calling on the government for more money to fund its fire and rescue service.

In a move which echoes that of the county's headteachers, the local authority wants to know why it receives half as much funding as neighbouring East Sussex and far less than both Surrey and Hampshire.

The West Sussex slice of the local government settlement funding assessment for fire authorities has dropped from £9.9m in 2016/17 to £5.4m in 2019/20.

This, added to the county's proposals to cut £600,000 from the budget, has lead to some heated debates at County Hall in Chichester.

Police believe the stabbing of Daniel Saunders in Ipswich "was not a random attack".

Image source, Getty Images

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The Office for Students says a rise in top grades is not just due to teaching or prior attainment.

"Professional fat bloke in a dress" Michael J Batchelor has been performing as a dame for 20 years.

One person has died in a flat fire in Maidstone.

Four fire engines were sent to reports of smoke coming from a flat in Quarry Square, Maidstone at 22:24 GMT on Tuesday.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled the blaze using high-pressure hose reel jets.

Kent Fire and Rescue said that one person died at the scene and six people were treated by paramedics for the effects of breathing in smoke.

An investigation has been launched into the cause of the fire, Kent Fire and Rescue said.

Jennifer Bartram
Weather presenter

It's wet and windy as we approach Christmas.

Here's my forecast.

Zahid Naseem claims he "may have lost his composure" during a sex game with Christina Abbotts.

Kathryn Langley
BBC Live reporter

A new centre aimed at taking rough sleepers off the streets will be set up in Brighton and Hove.

It is one of 11 shelters being opened across the country by spring 2019.

The centres will provide immediate shelter and support as part of the government's £100m rough sleeping strategy.

Steven Sandys was found lying in a field cut and bruised and with most of his ribs broken.

An alleged fraudster accused of ripping off hundreds of pensioners is jailed for contempt of court.