CRAWLEY Borough Council has come under fire after it was revealed that more than £16,500 was spent on the celebration at which the town's Christmas lights were turned on.

Though the entertainment on the night was praised, the lights themselves have left most people thoroughly underwhelmed.

And now the revelation of how much the whole event cost has seen the council come in for further scathing criticism.

Of the £16,534 splashed out on November 22's extravaganza, £3,000 was spent on fireworks, £3,200 on lights that lit up the Town Hall on the night and spotlights, and £1,735 on street theatre - three acts which included a rollerskating Christmas bauble and a person in a reindeer costume. Another £1,750 was spent on the stage, £637 on security and £350 on barriers.

The outlay would have been even more expensive had it not been for TV presenter Stephen Mulhern agreeing to appear for free to turn on the lights.

Council leader Peter Lamb – who didn't attend on the night – has insisted the money was worth spending.

The Labour politician has also promised that lessons will be learned for next year, with the council looking to improve the town's lights and potentially hold the event in a different location to The Boulevard, which proved unpopular this year.

Councillor Lamb initially said that a "large chunk" of the cash came from the Town Centre Partnership, which has members such as County Mall.

But he later had to backtrack and confirm that taxpayers' money had paid for the entire night. He said: "It had been planned to get the Town Centre Partnership to help fund the costs, due to it being a pilot event – and I guess there are lessons to be learnt for next year."

He added that the money had come from savings during this financial year, such as on salaries where council officers had unexpectedly left and not been immediately replaced.

Cllr Lamb added: "We are looking for the Town Centre Partnership to invest next year in order for us to invest in new lights and, we'll also review the location of the event.

"It was felt (this time) that Queens Square was too restrictive and Memorial Gardens would be too wet underfoot."

While the sum of £16,534 has been slammed by many, Cllr Lamb also pointed out that it had been a lot less than was spent when a similar event was last held, in 2006 – when the cost was £44,000.

He added that part of the purpose of the event was to try and bring visitors into the town centre and get them spending money in the shops and restaurants. An estimated 2,500 people attended the event.

Cllr Lamb said: "The question is do people want us to do a Christmas lights turn-on? If people don't want us to, we won't. But people seemed to enjoy it. What they didn't like was that there weren't as many lights on The Boulevard as they would have liked."

Conservative former council leader Bob Lanzer said he was "surprised" Cllr Lamb did not initially know what had been spent.

He added: "A big thing has been made of this event and if I were in his position I would make it my business to know."

Tory MP Henry Smith has also been critical, stating that Labour had some "explaining to do".

But Cllr Lamb said that Mr Smith was in no position to criticise.

He explained: "Given Henry's role in letting the town centre decline as leader of West Sussex County Council, who own Queens Square, it takes a fair bit of gall to then attack the people trying to clear up his mess."

A DAD has publicly spoken for the first time about the "hell" he has lived through after being falsely accused by his ex-partner of stalking her.

Peter Baterip was found not guilty of ten alleged incidents of stalking Nichola Carr between November 2012 and June 2014 at a trial last month.

The case against Mr Baterip was thrown out at Horsham Magistrates' Court on November 6 after magistrates found Ms Carr not to be a credible witness.

The father-of-two, from Bewbush, has now revealed his torment at the case ever going to court in the first place.

Mr Baterip said: "I have had eight months of hell since I was arrested.

"The police could have ascertained the allegations just weren't physically possible in some cases. I was accused of watching Nichola go to the shops at Dorsten Square (from his home) but you cannot see the shops from my house.

"There are lots of trees and other buildings in the way. The whole thing was fictitious and it has been extremely hurtful.

"I am now anxious about going out of the house because I have had people making judgements about me.

"I am receiving counselling for help. I have tried to keep it together for my son who lives with me.

"This has affected him, though. He has seen how distressed I've been and noticed that I've only been getting an hour of sleep a night."

Mr Baterip told the Crawley News he was in a relationship with Ms Carr on and off between 2006 and Boxing Day last year.

He believes another woman with a grudge against him encouraged his ex to make up the accusations.

Ms Carr accused her former partner of, among a host of claims, watching her in a park in Bewbush, posting updates on his Facebook account describing what she had been up to and having a conversation with her online under a false identity.

"I was never violent to Nichola," he said.

"I cannot even remember having a row with her.

"It was horrible to have those charges placed against me."

Mr Baterip explained that he has not seen his and Ms Carr's seven-year-old daughter since February.

The 47-year-old said: "I missed my daughter's seventh birthday earlier this year. I wasn't allowed to see her and it left me distraught.

"I still have the birthday presents I want to give her.

"When it comes to Christmas I don't know what is going to happen. I fear I am not going to be able to see her.

"It was my birthday on Tuesday (December 2) and it was the first time I haven't seen my daughter on my birthday.

"It was the first time since my daughter has been able to draw that I haven't had a birthday picture and card from her.

"To say it has been heartbreaking would be an understatement. I miss her and all I want is to be able to see my daughter."

POLICE are offering members of the public the opportunity to join officers in Crawley on patrol.

The idea of offering residents the chance to take part in a "ride-along" is to build the public's trust and confidence in how officers operate.

Sussex Police are also pledging to use stop-and-search powers more on an intelligence-led basis in the future, while reducing their use overall.

The force has agreed to sign up to the Government's Best Use of Stop and Search Scheme. This means a "chief officer" now has to authorise a "no-suspicion" stop and search.

Assistant Chief Constable Robin Smith said: "This will lead to greater transparency and allow the community to hold us to account on the way we use our stop-and-search powers."

The force is already recording all outcomes of stop-and-search cases and whether there is a connection between the grounds for the search and the outcome.

ACC Smith added: "In an effort to be even more transparent we are piloting a ride-along scheme specifically for Crawley residents, giving the community an opportunity to accompany and observe police officers as they carry out their day-to-day duties. I hope the scheme will improve understanding and trust between the police and the community and give members of the public a chance to see stop and search in action."

If you would like to join officers in Crawley on a ride-along e-mail RideAlongCrawley@sussex.pnn.police.uk

Mark James applied to build a bungalow in Crabtree Road, West Green, with access from Copse Crescent.

The development control committee discussed the proposal at a meeting on Monday night.

The council received 41 objections to the plans, on the grounds it would be out of keeping with the character of the area and concerns over traffic and loss of privacy.

Crawley Town manager John Gregory has made three enforced changes for the trip to face league leaders Bristol City.

Top scorer Izale McLeod begins his three-match ban and is replaced in the starting line-up by recent loan signing Shaun Miller.

Ryan Dickson and Gwion Edwards are both missing with hernia injuries and their places are taken by Sonny Bradley and Lewis Young.

The Reds look set to play five at the back against the leaders on a bright but chilly afternoon.

Reds: Price, Oyebanjo, Leacock, Bradley, Smith, Walsh, Young, Keane, Miller, Bawling, Tomlin. Subs: Jensen, Henderson, Banya, Harrold, Richeford, Isaacs, Elliott.

Bristol City: Fielding, Little, Williams, Flint, K Smith, Elliott, M Smith, Freeman, Agard, Ayling, Bryan. Subs: Richards, Osborne, Emmanuel-Thomas, Wagstaff, Cunningham, Wilbraham, Pack.

Bhupendra Patel appeared at Crawley Magistrates' Court on November 26 charged with theft.

The 52-year-old is alleged to have stolen a bag containing cosmetics at Gatwick Airport on September 6.

Patel, from Donnington Court, in Cowfold Close, Bewbush, pleaded not guilty.

Magistrates released Patel on unconditional bail to next appear at Horsham Magistrates' Court for trial on February 26.

ONE person suffered minor injuries and firefighters were needed to free them from their car after a car and a bus crashed in Ifield West this afternoon (Saturday).

The vehicles collided on Rusper Road close to the Tangmere Road junction at about 1.45pm. Sussex Police were called in to manage the traffic as the road was blocked.

An ambulance and the fire service were also in attendance. Firefighters used hydraulic cutting equipment to free someone from the car as the door would not open.

Paramedics treated one casualty although according to Sussex Police, their injuries were only minor. The incident was cleared and the vehicles recovered by 2.30m a Sussex Police spokesman said.

Crawley Town suffered late heartbreak as they were beaten by a goal three minutes from time at leaders Bristol City.

City were set to drop two places in the table after finding the brave Reds almost impossible to break down, but Luke Ayling lashed in the winner after a corner.

When they had got past the backline, the Robins had found Lewis Price in fine form in the goal, with a number of fine saves, not least a point-blank stop from Kieran Agard's early effort.

The Reds had their moments, with Sonny Bradley and Matt Harrold going closest, but their winless run stretched to seven games with this loss.

It was Crawley who had the slightly better start, albeit without causing any real threat – and once Bristol City hit their stride, they were soon causing all sorts of problems.

First Matt Smith couldn't quite connect well enough with a header, and Luke Freeman's shot was deflected over the top.

From that corner, they won a free-kick which Freeman sent into the box and it was headed on to Kieran Agard but his close-range shot was superbly stopped by Price.

A combination of Price and Lanre Oyebanjo got Luke Ayling's header from the next corner off the line, and Price was at it again on 18 minutes when he superbly pushed Joe Bryan's 20-yarder over the top after it had opened up for the youngster.

But the Reds did look to have weathered the storm somewhat and had a pair of shots of their own, as first Shaun Miller blasted wide and then Bobson Bawling's effort from 20 yards went over the top, both chances coming after quick breakaways.

It wasn't exactly end to end stuff, but both sides looked to break at pace when given the opportunity and on one such opportunity Agard burst down the left but his low cross was just diverted away from Smith and Little in the middle.

Bristol City could probably feel aggrieved not to lead at the break, and they were on the front foot soon after the interval, with Dean Leacock blocking one shot before another from Matt Smith went wide.

It took the visitors 53 minutes to win their first corner, but their second – a matter of minutes later – presented Sonny Bradley with a chance but his header was blocked and the rebound wouldn't drop for him, with Bristol City breaking and Price having to race out of his box to clear ahead of Agard.

Jimmy Smith shot wide from 25 yards, before Price was called into action again, this time diving to his left to keep out Derrick Williams' header from Freeman's cross.

Lewis Young was at the heart of many promising breaks for the home side and from one corner he burst into the Robins half before eventually the ball fell to Bawling but his shot was blocked.

The introduction of former Bristol Rovers man Matt Harrold certainly woke up the home faithful, and he was close to the opener when he met a Jimmy Smith corner, but his header went wide.

City were still having most of the ball, but even with all three of their substitutes on, they were finding the yellow shirts of Crawley hard to break down.

And in fact it was Crawley who were having the moments, with Bradley heading a Jimmy Smith corner over.

One of Bristol City's subs Aaron Wilbraham had a chance seven minutes from time but spooned over when Korey Smith's shot was deflected into his path.

But three minutes from time came the moment as Freeman's corner was met by Aden Flint and eventually fell to Ayling, who took his time before sending a half-volley through a crowd of players and into the far corner.

The Reds were unable to create a chance to level and now host Port Vale next Saturday looking to get a win before Christmas. 

PUPILS at a Copthorne school proved they have a hunger for helping others when they raised money to feed children in Africa.

Copthorne Prep School students were astonished to discover that just 20p can feed a child in some African countries, and they immediately set about gathering coins.

As part of World Food Week, the school council collected 20 pence pieces in red cups, encouraging their classmates to donate, with each class at the school, just off Effingham Lane, contributing at least 20 coins.

By the end of last week they were able to provide 2,413 meals, having raised £482.70 - with a few other coins also having been thrown in.

Head teacher Chris Jones held an assembly to explain how the children could help, after the school council, which is made up of pupils from Years 3 to 8, came up with the idea.

He explained: "They read about how a child could be fed in Africa for 20p and I ran an assembly to ask them what they could buy in this country for 20p. You can't buy very much at all here. I said to them they could tap up their parents for 20p pieces and that's fine, but if they took it out of their own pocket money and sacrificed a few sweets, it would mean a lot more."

A FORMER military policeman has swapped acting as a bodyguard for British Army generals in some of the most dangerous locations in the world for teaching children at a Crawley primary school.

Richard Keightley was in the Royal Military Police for 27 years but left in May to pursue a teaching career.

The 44-year-old is currently training at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Primary School, in Hare Lane, Langley Green, after undertaking work experience there in April and May.

"It felt like such a nice place to be and, as a teacher, you are achieving something," he said.

For much of his career in military policing Mr Keightley worked in "close protection", as a bodyguard.

He has even written a factual book about the profession's history that was launched at the House of Lords last Tuesday.

Mr Keightley, who lives in Ifield, joined the Army at the age of 16 and served in Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Burundi and Northern Ireland.

He was also part of a team of four tasked with protecting the British Ambassador to Sudan in the African country in 2007, when the British Embassy they were in was surrounded by 2,000 Sudanese carrying swords and spears.

"It was bonkers," Mr Keightley recalled.

"But the outcome was pretty straightforward.

"One of the crowd stepped forward and delivered a letter of complaint to one of the embassy staff. Once they delivered that, they dispersed."

The Sudanese men were angry that a British teacher who had been working in the country at the time had allowed her pupils to call a teddy bear "Mohammed".

His former career sounds like something from an Indiana Jones movie but he has left it all behind for a very different job.

Asked why he changed careers, Mr Keightley explained that for the first four years of his marriage to wife Jenny, he was away from home for most of the first two-and-a-half of them.

He said: "We have got a young son who is four-and-a-half and it's the right time to settle down. And I've always had a hankering for teaching.

"I did a lot (of teaching) in my army career. I was an instructor in military police training school.

"And as you move up the ranks you're always training somebody, be it in map reading, values and standards, or weapons."

Mr Keightley's book about the Royal Military Police's bodyguards – called Deter Suppress Extract! – was published on Sunday.

He has researched the history of close protection and interviewed serving military policemen and veterans, including one who protected Winston Churchill in Iran during the Second World War.

Former Liberal Democrats leader Paddy Ashdown, who was a Royal Marine for more than ten years and required military police protection while working for the UN in Bosnia between 2002 and 2006, wrote the foreword to Mr Keightley's book and hosted the House of Lords launch.

Mr Keightley is training to become a teacher having signed up to the Department for Education's Troops to Teachers programme.

He trains at Our Lady four days a week, observing lessons and taking some himself.

He will be fully qualified as a teacher in September 2017.

Asked if he'd like to teach in Crawley once he is, he said: "Of course. It would be lovely to make a difference here."

IF you visit The Hawth this Christmas you'll notice the box office is looking a good deal brighter thanks to a three-year-old.

The makeover is down to Willow Burnell, who visits the theatre every week to attend Sway Dance's Ballet Tots class and the Whirly Wiggle Story Club.

An art competition was held where children were invited to design a castle for Sleeping Beauty.

The toddler's design was chosen as the winner and she got to see it brought to life at The Hawth last week.

Not only that, but she got to meet the stars of this year's panto at the theatre, TV host Stephen Mulhern and CBeebies presenter Cat Sandion.

Willow's proud mum Jo-anna said: "Willow is always drawing and colouring in, so she was very excited to enter this competition at one of our favourite places.

"We danced around the kitchen when we found out she had won. She was over the moon."

Willow presented Cat and Stephen pictures she drew of them, which will be put on display in their dressing rooms while they are at the theatre starring in the production of Sleeping Beauty.

Willow's design caught the judges' eye because of its vibrant colours, bold shapes and the attention to detail with Sleeping Beauty and her prince looking out of the windows.

The A4 drawing has been blown up to fit around the whole box office.

Sleeping Beauty has been The Hawth's best-selling panto but there are still tickets available for selected performances and an extra show has been added at 10.30am on December 27.

To book tickets, call the box office on 01293 553636.

A SCHOOL choir were in full voice for the launch of Gatwick Airport's annual charity appeal at the South Terminal.

Ifield Community College Choir sang at the event on December 1, as the appeal was launched by former athlete Sally Gunnell.

Crawley MP Henry Smith, the town's mayor Brenda Smith and Father Christmas were also at the event, as were children, staff and parents from Chestnut Tree House, the only children's hospice in Sussex.

Chestnut Tree House, Cancer Research UK and TravelCare, an independent registered charity that has assisted troubled passengers at Gatwick since 1986, are the three charities chosen by the airport to benefit from fundraising by staff over the next year.

The choir were the first of more than 30 musical groups who will be performing at the South Terminal.

They will also be performing at Crawley Hospital on December 18 and at Ifield Park Care Home on December 15.

Ifield Community College's winter concert, meanwhile, will take place at the school on Tuesday (December 16).

Tickets can be bought by calling 01293 420500.

A NEW police unit has been launched to help combat crimes committed online in Sussex.

Sussex Police and Surrey Police will be running the Cyber Crime Unit (CCU) together.

The unit is partly being funded through an increase in the police precept, the portion of council tax that goes to the force, in 2014/15.

The CCU comes after a pilot study in Brighton and Hove.

Cyber crimes are criminal acts committed through the use of computers or other technological devices, where the devices are both the tool for committing a crime and targets of crimes.

Crimes that the unit will investigate include the harvesting of online bank account details, the hacking of websites and the hacking of networks to steal sensitive data.

Online fraud, online theft and online sex offending will also be investigated by the unit.

The head of the new unit, Detective Inspector Andy Haslam, said: "It is important to understand that we will not be carrying out all investigations.

"We are actively supporting investigations across both counties because an equally important aim of the unit is to spread knowledge and understanding of this type of crime to all our staff."

Sussex Police have issued guidance to try to prevent cyber crime.

It includes using strong, memorable passwords, installing anti-virus software on new devices and checking privacy settings on social media are as you want them to be.

The CCU is based at Haywards Heath police station.

Louise Bennett, 45, stole the alcohol – worth £2.99 – on November 2 and on the same day was released on bail. Then, on November 19, she failed to surrender to the police station.

Bennett, from Gresham Walk, Tilgate, pleaded guilty to both offences at Crawley Magistrates' Court on November 25.

She was fined £50 and ordered to pay a £20 victim surcharge.

A WOMAN has spoken of her shock after ordering her weekly shop from Tesco and being sent pâté that was nearly two weeks out of date.

Kim Marshall received the chicken liver pâté on November 25 only to find its use-by-date was November 13.

It had been delivered to her home from the Tesco.com warehouse in Betts Way, Manor Royal.

The 31-year-old said: "I was quite shocked and horrified so I contacted Tesco and they got back to me and apologised."

Miss Marshall was offered £10 off her next shop but she says this isn't enough, and doesn't believe the supermarket giant is taking the issue seriously.

Having undertaken some research online she found that eating out-of-date pâté can lead to severe food poisoning and even death.

The NHS warns that it is important to eat food such as pâté by its use-by-date to avoid the risk of food poisoning.

Miss Marshall, who has been a Tesco customer for 15 years, said: "They have given me a £10 voucher, which I'm not happy with.

"At the moment I don't feel like shopping with them. I thought that they would have taken it more seriously. My family and friends could have needed to go to hospital.

"It's pretty bad to deliver shopping that far out-of-date anyway, let alone something so dangerous.

"Apparently, from what I have read online, out-of-date pâté can make you need to be hospitalised and even die.

"It's not what you want, especially before Christmas."

Miss Marshall, who lives in Haywards Heath, had family and friends round for a buffet – where she was going to serve the pâté – the weekend after the delivery.

She has contacted the environmental health team at Crawley Borough Council about the matter.

Environmental health officer Kelvin North has since investigated the incident.

He has spoken to Tesco.com, whose staff have put in place measures including extra training for employees to ensure it doesn't happen again.

No further action has been taken against the company.

Miss Marshall said: "I feel a huge established company such as Tesco should already have robust health and safety processes in place.

"An incident such as this should never have been allowed to happen in the first place, considering it involves food and the general public, and the amount of customers that shop with them.

"It's appalling that it's taken an incident like this for them to put appropriate training and processes in place."

A Tesco spokeswoman said that a full investigation was taking place to work out how the error occurred.

She added: "We set ourselves the highest standards for the food our grocery home shopping colleagues deliver to customers' doors. We've apologised to Miss Marshall and offered her a gesture of goodwill."

A STAGGERING £300,000 of parking fines haven't been paid in Crawley over the last four-and-a-half years.

Between April 1, 2010 and November 28 this year a total of £947,347.89 was paid to Crawley Borough Council through parking fines.

But over the same period fines totalling £306,989.79 have not been paid.

This means almost 25 per cent of the income the council should have generated has not been recovered.

The figures were released to the Crawley News following a Freedom of Information request.

Leader of the council Peter Lamb admitted that unpaid parking fines are a problem for the authority but that it has been effective in recouping other outstanding debts.

He said: "It is an issue. When it comes to any form of non-payment, we are always trying to chase up on it.

"When it comes to unpaid housing benefit, or fraud, we have very effective departments.

"I think the question would be how much would be reasonable to spend on trying to bring in the income."

In an attempt to recover all debts the council pays £7 a time for a warrant to try and recover the money.

Each warrant lasts a year and if the fine remains unpaid after that time the council writes the debt off.

A council spokesman said: "All unpaid penalty charge notices are registered as a debt and then warrants are issued to our enforcement agents (formerly bailiffs) to recover the money.

"Unfortunately, there are many cases where the debt is unrecoverable, for example where there are foreign registered vehicles, no keeper details assigned to the vehicle, or the keeper has moved away and cannot be found."

Between November 28, 2011 and November 28, 2014 drivers using cars registered overseas have got away with not paying more than £10,000 of parking fines in Crawley.

A total of 158 parking fines accrued by cars registered overseas have gone unpaid in that time – costing taxpayers £10,015.

But 77 tickets issued to foreign drivers were paid, bringing in £4,795 in the same period.

John O'Connell, a director at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Parking fines are there to ensure that traffic can flow well, so it's, of course, frustrating when legitimate fines are going unpaid.

"It's especially tough when this applies to foreign vehicles where it seems it's near impossible to recoup the fine, and taxpayers are left out of pocket.

"On the other hand, it's important that councils don't see parking fines as a revenue stream to be relied upon to plug gaps in their finances, as motorists already pay through the nose for taxes and charges."

MOTORISTS travelling to and from Crawley this morning (Monday) could face delays as a result of a broken down car.

The A24 Dorking Road is currently partially blocked after the vehicle came to a standstill at about 7am.

The incident is expected to cause disruption in both directions.

MAJOR delays are being caused by an incident on the M23 this morning (Monday).

A lane has been blocked on the exit slip road at J9 (Gatwick Airport) due to a broken down vehicle.

The incident has resulted in major congestion for northbound traffic.