Joanna Jones, 27, from Great Leighs, Chelmsford, Essex, died when the Toyota Yaris she was a passenger in collided with a Land Rover Discovery in Lowfield Heath Road near Gatwick Airport on March 31, 2009.

At Hove Crown Court on Wednesday (July 22), Christopher Solomon, 29, formerly of Radlett in Hertfordshire, but now living in Spain, and Geoffrey Bratt, 67, of The Greys, Weedon, Northamptonshire, were found guilty of causing death by careless driving. Both had denied the charge.

Joanna had been the passenger in Solomon’s Toyota Yaris when he turned right into BCP Airparks long term car park, across the path of Bratt’s on-coming Land Rover Discovery. They were travelling to celebrate a belated Valentines Day break in Venice.

It was established that Bratt was travelling at an average speed of 64mph in a 40mph limit immediately prior to the fatal collision.

Just before 4pm on Wednesday, Mrs Figueria, a pedestrian, was in collision with a 4×4 BMW travelling north-west in Lottbridge Drove, Eastbourne near the junction with Willingdon Drove

She was taken to Eastbourne District General Hospital where she underwent emergency surgery but died during the night.

The 4×4 driver, a 44-year old local man, was unhurt.

Sussex Roads Policing officers at Polegate are appealing for any witnesses who may have seen the collision to contact them via 0845 60 70 999 quoting Operation Chesworth.

The day will commence at 9 am and you are free to come and go at your leisure throughout the day. However, bookings are being taken between 10 am and 4 pm for test drives and due to high demand anticipated.

An alfresco barbeque lunch will be served for all guests between 12 and 2 pm. Call the dealership on 01256 316800.

Christoper Alfred Taylor, 48, from Southwick, has been bailed to appear at Worthing Magistrates Court on Thursday 22 July.

Neil Tucknott, 47, from Lancing, died after the Kawasaki motorcycle he was riding was in collision with a Hyundai car.

Commenting on his achievement, Alex said:
“I’m over the moon to come first over so many other talented technicians. I’d like to congratulate the other five who made it to the final; they worked hard and did really well. I’d also like to thank everyone at Gatwick Honda and the Honda Institute, who have supported me in so many ways with extra training and lots of encouragement.”

The scores of the top four competitors were very close and finishing in joint silver medal position were Stuart Prince who works at Lookers Honda in Derby and Phil Roberts from Central Garage in Llanwrst, Wales.  Simon Castanha from Sytner Leicester BMW achieved the bronze medal.

Alex is currently working towards an NVQ level 3 in Vehicle Maintainence and Repair at the Honda Institute as part of the Honda Apprenticeship Programme.  Along with a number of other Honda Apprentices, Alex took part in the first stage of the competition while attending a training block at the Honda Institute. From there he was identified as one of the top achievers in this initial stage and was invited to attend a regional final hosted by Honda before going onto the UK national finals.

Paul Taylor, Technical Training Manager at the Honda Institute commented:
“We are incredibly proud of both Alex and Stuart on their truly significant achievements. Both have worked incredibly hard to get to the final and Alex’s victory is a fitting tribute to his passion and commitment. Skillauto is something that Honda supports wholeheartedly as it fits in perfectly with our values of championing personal development, encouraging competition and promoting the next generation of engineers and technicians.”

Melissa Sagir-Amos MIMI, Skills Competition Coordinator at the IMI was delighted with what was achieved at the event: “To be able to recognise and reward the young talent in our industry is something that we should be very proud of.  The technicians showed confidence, professionalism and dedication throughout the competition and we wish them a long and successful career within the motor industry. The IMI would also like to thank everyone who helped make this competition possible, Skillauto could not have done this without the efforts and commitment from all of those involved.”

The aim of Skillauto is to identify and promote the exceptional talent of those working in the automotive industry and exceptional candidates might then have the opportunity to compete with the best from across the world at the prestigious WorldSkills event being held in London in 2011.

Winners of the body streams of the competition, that were held as part of the Thatcham Triple Focus event will be announced at the Bodyshop magazine awards ceremony in September.

Work is now starting for the 2010/11 competition cycle for Automobile Technology, Autobody Repair and Paint.  If you would like to get involved, and to find out more, please contact Melissa at melissaa@motor.org.uk.

The 25-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision on the A26 at Beddingham at about 9.10am on Sunday 16 May.

The lorry driver, a 28-year old man also from Eastbourne, was treated at Eastbourne District General Hospital for minor injuries and shock. The collision which occurred about a mile south of the junction with the A27, resulted in the road being closed for several hours while police investigated.

Anyone who saw the collision is asked to contact Sussex Police via 0845 60 70 999 quoting Operation Madeley (Serial 502 of 16 May).

With freezing conditions forecast the county’s gritters will be treating roads where possible. However, because of the pressures on salt supplies nationally the County Council will only be able to treat A and B roads.

Drivers are being warned to take extreme care as fewer roads will be salted than normal.

Derek Whittington, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport, said: “Supplies of salt are still being controlled nationally under the Government’s Salt Cell system which means we have to use our stocks sensibly.

“This is frustrating for us as we started the winter season with larger than normal salt stocks and had secured additional deliveries to meet the needs of the prolonged cold weather.

“However, we do understand that as the big freeze continues we need to support Salt Cell and this unfortunately means reducing the amount of salt we are using in order to conserve supplies.

“Therefore, I would urge motorists to drive with even more caution over the next couple of weeks as we see a return of the extreme cold weather.”

The collision happened around 10.10am on the B2110 at Balcombe, close to the junction with Crawley Lane. The woman’s silver Peugeot 206 collided with a DAF 18 tonne flat bed lorry. She was airlifted to the New East Surrey Hospital with what were initially feared to be life-threatening injuries, but she was later reported to have sustained a broken leg.

Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the collision or who may have seen the vehicles in the area in the time leading up to it to contact them on 0845 60 70 999 quoting Op Fernhill.

The recent severe weather has caused considerable damage to the county’s roads including a dramatic increase in the number of potholes.

The County Council is already putting £2.35 million towards the cost of repairs. However, early estimates suggest considerably more cash will be needed.

In a letter to the Secretary of State for Transport, Lord Adonis, Henry says: “It cannot have escaped your notice that following the recent extreme weather local authorities up and down the country are now battling to deal with the damage to highway surfaces that the snow and ice have caused.

“In West Sussex, we have prioritised highway conditions for many years and the results of our investment have been obvious.  At the end of last year the Audit Commission data for NI168 (condition of principal roads) showed that roads in West Sussex are the best in the country.

“All that hard work and investment is being undone by the impact of the winter weather.”

The County Council is working hard to repair potholes and currently has 30 teams repairing approximately 500 holes per day. Once a pothole is reported the County Council aims to repair it within 28 days and for urgent defects on A and B roads within three working days.

The repair teams are being directed to the routes where the greatest numbers of dangerous holes exist. Repairs are listed and worked through in the order they are reported, however, potholes that have reached a depth of 100mm and holes on A and B roads are prioritised as they carry a greater flow of traffic.

In his letter Henry goes on to say: “West Sussex has remained grossly underfunded.  For nearly a decade we have received the minimum increases in grant and our capital investment programmes have been equally badly treated when it comes to Government support.  It is now time for the Government to recognise our plight and to provide additional much-needed funding to help us deal with the impact of the extreme weather conditions.”

The County Council is advising motorists to drive with extreme caution whilst the potholes are being repaired.

People can report potholes by calling 01243 642105.

Over a seven week period from mid-November to the new year, 5984 drivers were breath tested with 225 being arrested as a result. Of these, 28 had been involved in collisions.

The Sussex campaign was run over a slightly longer period than the previous year, so direct comparisons are not possible, but compared with the same seven weeks in 2008/09, there was a slight rise in both numbers tested and arrested. Proportionately, the arrest/failure rate (3.6%) was broadly similar, but more were tested and arrested before a collision and fewer after.

Ch Insp Di Roskilly from Sussex Police’s Road Policing Unit is generally happy with the results. “While it is still disappointing that some people think it is acceptable to take the risk of drinking and driving, we are pleased that a significant proportion have been removed from the roads and that the majority were stopped before they had the chance to get involved in a collision,” she said.

“It is gratifying that there is wide public support for the campaign. Despite the fact that they were stopped, a lot of people expressed their appreciation and we also received a considerable amount of information that enabled us to take action against offenders.

“Although the Christmas campaign has now ended, we’re as active as ever, as those who flout the law present a very high risk to other road users. Since January 3 (to January 27) we have arrested 49 drink/drug drivers and I would encourage anyone who has information about anybody who is offending to contact us so that we can intervene and perhaps prevent a tragedy. You can do this through the Operation Crackdown website – www.operationcrackdown.org – or if the offence is taking place immediately, dial 999.”

Neil Hopkins, communications manager for the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP) said: “50,000 of our ‘The Worst Christmas Gift’ anti-drink and drug-driving campaign Christmas cards were distributed across Sussex during the festive season. Our campaign alongside the enforcement was highly distinctive and visible. It could also be heard in local radio ads, seen on banners at numerous sites, in local publications, websites and on the back of buses.”

He added: “We recently launched our latest road safety campaign for Sussex – Embrace Life. A positive, child-friendly seat belt advert, which has been designed to be viewed at schools, colleges, Sussex shows and events as well as in cinemas, online and also possibly on TV. The advert was written and directed by Burgess Hill based award-winning film maker Daniel Cox and can be seen by going to SSRP’s website, www.SussexSaferRoads.gov.uk. It will be used alongside Sussex Police’s enforcement of non-seat belt wearing in the coming weeks.”