FLOODING and fallen trees look set to make people's journeys to work difficult this morning following a wet and windy night.

One lane was closed on the northbound carriageway of the M23 from Junction 9 (Gatwick) to Junction 8 (M25) due to surface water on the road, however that has now reopened. Traffic is slow moving though.

The A23 (London Road) near Gatwick is also flooded and there are similar problems on the A22 at South Godstone, which is prone to flooding. The M25 is slowing clockwise between Junction 4 and 6 and again at Junction 10.

On the trains people are advised to check before they travel. Currently buses are replacing trains between Uckfield and Oxted in both directions due to a fallen tree at Ashurst. The 08.17am East Grinstead to London Bridge train is currently showing as "delayed".

A yellow warning of rain remains in place however it is expected to clear south east England by this morning. A spell of colder weather will follow..

A FORMER nurse from Ifield who had to stop working after a serious accident says her life has been turned around by her trainee assistance dog, with the pair's first year together featuring in a prime-time BBC programme last week.

Colette Emsley and labradoodle pup Lola starred in Six Puppies And Us, shown last Tuesday and Wednesday evenings on BBC2.

The 32-year-old, from Braeburn Road, suffered a serious head injury when she fell down the stairs at home seven years ago.

The trauma to her brain caused her to develop dystonia, which causes paralysis and her to have seizures and spasms in her muscles.

Colette uses a wheelchair when she leaves home.

As a trainee assistance dog Lola can pick up items from the floor for Colette, open doors and raise the alarm should she suffer a seizure by pressing a button on an alarm pendant.

Colette had trained to be a nurse at Queen Victoria Hospital, in East Grinstead, as part of her university degree.

She went on to work at Kent and Sussex Hospital, in Tunbridge Wells, and for The National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy (NCYPE), in Lingfield.

She had to give up her nursing role at NCYPE five years ago, however, because of her condition.

Collette said: "When it got to the stage where I couldn't work and I was back in hospital it was hard, and I did go downhill for a few years.

"I felt like I had nothing to live for. I didn't know anything different to working.

"I started work in a nursing home when I was 14 – I've always done caring and nursing.

"Once I didn't have that, that's when it got hard."

But when Lola came into her life in February last year all that changed.

The year-old pup has given Colette her confidence back after she was mugged when she was alone in her wheelchair in Langley Green in June 2013.

"She has totally changed my life," said Colette. "She has given me my confidence to go volunteering (at Kilmarnock Horse Rescue in Ifield) and to go to college in September to study horse management and care."

RDF Television, the production company that made Six Puppies And Us, contacted Colette through Lola's breeder.

The show followed six different puppies and their new owners over the course of their first year together.

"It was weird seeing myself on TV," Colette said. "But I have had so many lovely comments and messages from people through Facebook. People I don't know have said how good Lola is."

An ex-Thomas Bennett Community College pupil, Colette hopes their TV appearance will raise awareness of the difference assistance dogs can make to people's lives.

She wants to see more funding made available for the charities and trainers who teach them.

Colette decided to fund Lola's training herself, rather than have a dog provided by a charity such as Canine Partners, as it had a three-year waiting list of people needing assistance dogs when she looked into getting one.

Although Colette, who also has osteoporosis and congenital adrenal hyperplasia received a grant to cover some of the costs of training Lola, she has struggled to make ends meet.

And Lola still has more training to do before she can become a certified assistance dog when she reaches 18 months.

If you wish to donate to Colette to go towards the rest of Lola's training call 07703 289652.

A MAN is reported to have fallen from the North Terminal building at Gatwick Airport in the early hours of this morning.

A Sussex Police spokesman said the force is aware of the incident but is yet to release any details. An eyewitness saw the man fall from the building into the road outside one of the car parks, although it is unclear at this stage how he came to fall.

The incident is thought to have happened some time around 1am.

More details as we get them.

A MAN suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries when he fell 70 feet at Gatwick's North Terminal in the early hours of this morning.

At 12.50am a 27-year old man was seen to fall from the upper landside forecourt onto the lower forecourt at the North Termnal. He was taken to St George's Hospital in Tooting, South London with head and body injuries.

There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the fall.

The man is believed to have been at the airport to join an outbound flight, a Sussex Police spokesman said.

A SELFLESS taxi driver is giving up two hours of his time every week to offer return journeys to elderly and disabled people who may struggle to get around Crawley – for free.

Jamie Simpson was inspired to support others by his late grandmother Marylin, who used to give up her time to help those less fortunate than herself.

The 25-year-old, from Ardingly Close, Ifield, is offering a free return taxi ride between 11am and 1pm every Friday to somewhere in Crawley for anyone who is over 70 or disabled.

He joked that he is doing this as otherwise in this time he would just be sat at home, adding that there are only "so many issues of Boxing News and Esquire" he can read.

"The reason I am doing this is I have a couple of spare hours on a Friday afternoon when I have a customer I wait three to four hours for in the Crawley area and therefore I am sat at home twiddling my thumbs," he added.

"I would see elderly people or disabled people struggling to get to bus stops and the local shops and I thought maybe I could pick them up.

"I want to help the people who struggle and find it hard to get to bus stops."

Jamie has been a taxi driver since August 2012 and has his own company, Wheelchair Friendly Taxis, based in Charlwood, and a taxi adapted to carry wheelchairs.

He is licensed with Mole Valley District Council and operates mainly in Charlwood, Leatherhead, Ashtead and Oxshott.

Jamie doesn't work in Crawley, so says he isn't doing this to "gain regular work".

He is a Hackney Carriage driver so can pick people up in Crawley as long as they have booked by phone or e-mail.

Jamie explained that he doesn't want anything in return for his acts of kindness – and added that he isn't giving away free taxi rides because he is rich.

He explained: "It's two hours. If I did that at a taxi rank in Crawley, I would only earn £20 in two hours. And that's being generous."

Jamie was brought up by his gran Marylin in Bewbush, having moved to Crawley to live with her when, aged 11, his parents split up.

She passed away at the age of 80 in July last year.

He said: "My gran was a member of Bewbush Action Group.

"She helped put in the wooden animals on Bewbush Drive, was part of Neighbourhood Watch and volunteered at Waterfield School helping children to read.

"She brought me up and was always good to others.

"When you're younger you're always chasing girls and drinking.

"She passed away last year which made me reflect on my own life and how I can help others.

"It's about giving something back and listening to her advice."

Anyone wishing to take Jamie up on his offer should call him on 07515 409746 or e-mail wheelchairtaxis@gmail.com

HENRY Smith has praised East Surrey Hospital staff for outperforming the national average after patients were asked to go to their local A&E only for "serious life-threatening emergencies" after a "surge" in demand.

The latest statistics show East Surrey did better than the national average in terms of A&E waiting times at the end of last year.

At the Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust-run hospital, 94.4 per cent of A&E patients were seen within the four-hour target.

The English national average rate for all A&E patients to be seen within four hours stands at 92.6 per cent.

Both figures are for October to December 2014.

Crawley's MP said: "I am grateful to the dedicated Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust staff, whose attitude and compassion is a constant source of inspiration.

"We've all been to or taken someone to A&E, and can see how hard staff work."

The four-hour figure reflects the time taken from arrival to either admission, transfer or discharge.

No patients were waiting for admission for more than 12 hours.

Demand for A&E services across the country this winter forced some hospitals to implement "major incident" emergency plans last week.

People in need of medical assistance have been asked to make sure A&E is the correct place to go before making the trip.

The NHS 111 helpline, walk-in clinics, local GPs' surgeries and pharmacists have all been suggested as a first point-of-call for non-emergency conditions.

Dr Patrick Kerr, a local GP, said: "The volume of people attending local emergency departments with non-urgent and minor ailments such as coughs, colds and sneezes, sickness and diarrhoea, has resulted in an excessive demand upon services that are available for urgent or emergency care.

"We know it can sometimes be confusing to know which service is right for you when you are not feeling 100 per cent.

"It is very important to remember that 999 and A&E services are only for serious life-threatening emergencies."

A&E services across Sussex and Surrey have been extremely busy this month.

A total of 7,322 visited emergency departments in Sussex and east Surrey from January 2 to 4.

A CLOTHING retailer with a branch in Crawley has been named and shamed with 36 other firms for not paying its staff the minimum wage.

H&M (Hennes & Mauritz) is on a list of businesses named by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as having failed to pay 540 workers £2,604.87

The minimum wage for adults over 21 is £6.50 per hour. For 18 to 20-year-olds it is £5.13 per hour; 16 to 17-year-olds should get at least £3.79 per hour; and apprentices must be paid a minimum rate of £2.73 per hour.

A spokesman for H&M said "errors within some of our stores concerning time logging" was the reason for the underpayment. It is unclear if Crawley employees, working at the store in The Martletts, are among those who were underpaid.

The spokesman added: "The average underpayment for those affected was £4.82. All such arrears were immediately processed and we accept that the errors should not have occurred.

"HMRC have confirmed that they were happy with H&M's complete transparency cooperation and full engagement with the process."

The 37 businesses will be fined a combined total of £51,000.

Business Minister Jo Swinson said: "Paying less than the minimum wage is illegal, immoral and completely unacceptable. If employers break this law they need to know that we will take tough action by naming, shaming and fining them as well as helping workers recover the hundreds of thousands of pounds in pay owed to them."

ROUTINE checks of electric blankets have revealed a high failure rate.

Firefighters are asking residents using the blankets this winter to take them to testing events after 40 per cent checked in seven months last year were found to be potentially dangerous.

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service held more than a dozen free testing events across the county between May and December.

At these events, 166 of the 412 electric blankets tested were found to be potentially dangerous.

Jackie Boyle, community fire safety officer for West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, said: "If any of those faulty blankets had caught fire, there could have been potentially devastating consequences for their owners.

"Nationally, there are about 1,000 fires caused by unsafe electric blankets each year and, sadly, some people have lost their lives.

"We saw a number of very old electric blankets brought in to be tested.

"Blankets over ten years old are a particular concern because they don't have the overheat protection found in newer blankets."

This safety system cuts the power to the blanket in the event of a malfunction, reducing the risk of it catching fire.

The fire service is recommending that anyone with an electric blanket over ten years old replaces it.

Mrs Boyle added: "We are planning more safety testing events throughout this year and would encourage anyone who hasn't had their electric blanket tested in the past two years to take up a free test.

"Elderly people, or those who are less mobile, can be more vulnerable, so we'd urge those caring for older people to consider getting blankets tested on their behalf."

To find your nearest testing venue or for advice on the safe use of electric blankets, call 0845 8729719.

CRAWLEY residents have jumped to the defence of a woman from the town who was bullied for the way she looks after appearing on today's episode of the Jeremy Kyle show.

Gemma Swift appeared in the episode under the banner: "Stop harassing me just because I'm sleeping with your ex" and people on Twitter began mocking her because of her teeth.

When a post was put up on the Spotted: Crawley Facebook page today a number of people took exception with the comments and with the way the Twitter onslaught was reported by national newspaper The Mirror.

In an online article The Mirror highlighted the abuse but then went on to list some of the brutal comments made.

In response, Rob Sharp wrote on Spotted: Crawley: "The Mirror should be ashamed of themselves. They describe some of the tweets as "cruel" yet go on to republish some of "the best" with glee."

Other Facebook users also came to the aid of Ms Swift. Nigel Marks wrote: "I used to live in Northgate and this girl was my neighbour and found her very polite and respectful, enough said guys."

Briony Rendell added: "Everyone is having a laugh at her expense, but she didn't ask to look like that. Pretty sure we all have imperfections, some more so and more obvious than others, but she doesn't need this kind of cyber bullying from all over the place." 

And Abigail Bryan added: "This is bullying. Just think about this girls feelings. Sorry but it's wrong."

THEY are said to be able to break an arm with their wings but even if you find swans a little scary you will no doubt be able to appreciate their beauty. This handsome chap – or chapess – was pictured on Tilgate Lake by reader Michael Page last Thursday. He took a sequence of shots using a fast shutter speed. Your picture could be next week's Picture of the Week. Send your snaps to editor@crawleynews.co.uk

Tilgate Forum is meeting at Shackleton Road Community Centre from 7.30 to 9.30pm tomorrow (Thursday).

The agenda will include an update on a survey carried out into the state of grass verges, litter problems, the use of school land and proposals for extra parking and footpaths.

Guest speaker Karen Rham, neighbourhood services manager at Crawley Borough Council, will provide the latest information on the Tilgate Park access road, which is currently being constructed.

There will also be an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions.

For more information call John Dale on 01293 438412 or e-mail john.dale@crawley.gov.uk

A DOCTORS' surgery crippled by a storm is to reopen in an improved state more than a year after it was forced to close.

Strong winds damaged the roof of Leacroft Medical Practice during the night going into Christmas Eve 2013, allowing rainwater to pour into the building, on Langley Drive.

Because of the time of year it proved difficult to organise a repair to the roof, and for six weeks water was able to gush into the surgery.

Dr Haidar Saad, who has been a GP partner at Leacroft Medical Practice for two years, said: "It was really horrific and something that a lot of doctors have not experienced before – especially when it's a surgery that is only four years old, and something like that happens.

"It was really shocking for everyone, from the patients to the staff and partners."

Leacroft Medical Practice temporarily moved operations to Southgate Medical Practice, on Brighton Road, before relocating to Cross Keys House, in Haslett Avenue West, in the town centre, on March 3 last year.

Dr Saad said the length of time it took for the insurance company and landlord to coordinate the repair was "beyond belief".

The roof was repaired and reinforced to make sure it could not suffer such damage again.

But then the drying out of Leacroft Medical Practice took "several weeks", before the surgery was stripped back to a concrete shell.

The renovation did, though, give the opportunity to alter the floor plan.

"Structurally there was scope to improve the building," said Dr Saad.

As well as new fixtures, fittings and flooring, an extra room for doctors to see patients has been created downstairs by reducing space in a waiting room which was not being used to its full capacity.

Another waiting room upstairs has been enlarged by making a room which is used for staff smaller.

And the size of an office for staff downstairs has also been increased, by reducing the size of the reception.

"It works better for patients and clinical staff," said Dr Saad.

Leacroft Medical Practice is reopening to its 9,200 patients on Monday.

The move between Cross Keys House and Langley Drive started yesterday (Wednesday) and continues today and tomorrow. Today (Thursday) there will be no surgery cover and patients are requested to use the out-of-hours service by calling 111.

Tomorrow (Friday) there will be an emergency clinic only at Leacroft Medical Practice.

There will be a reopening ceremony on February 5.

Dr Saad, 41, said: "We are very excited and looking forward to the surgery reopening and I am sure our patients are.

"It means that we are back in business and back to normality.

"A sense of belonging for the surgery is very important to patients and staff.

"Everyone will be pleased and will be able to get the maximum they can from the surgery."

What do you think about the surgery's reopening? How have the temporary arrangements affected you? E-mail your views to editor@crawleynews.co.uk

ONCE a self-proclaimed "human punchbag", Robin Deakin is adamant that should the British Boxing Board of Control give him back his licence, he will win fights.

Since winning his debut fight in 2006, Deakin has lost 51 successive bouts, leading the British Boxing Board to withdraw his licence in 2013, citing concerns for his health.

Deakin, from Maidenbower, has most recently fought on a German licence but is determined to win back his British card and after several knock-backs, believes the British Boxing Board of Control have "no choice" but to accept his latest application.

"We are going to reapply for my licence in the first week in February," the 28-year-old explained. "There has been a lot of support for me from big names in boxing and I have a really good lawyer helping me put together the case so I don't think they have a choice but to give me back my British licence this time.

"They say about my health but I've passed every medical test I've been set and people say I'm the worst boxer in Britain, but I was looking the other day and there is a bloke in Wales who has lost all 23 of his fights.

"I was a journeyman taking fights with just hours' notice but I'm not doing that anymore, I'm taking my training very seriously and even have a dietician."

And Deakin is adamant that if he is given a second chance by the British Boxing Board of Control, he will turn his run of defeats around and finally shrug off the "worst boxer in Britain" tag once and for all.

"I want to win and I think I have a chance now," he said. "Before, I was getting a day or two notice before a fight, but sometimes it was just hours. Even with no preparation I was still in there and putting the blokes down but I didn't have the stamina to finish them off.

"Now I'm going to be fitter and more prepared, with eight weeks' notice, I believe I can start winning.

"Journeymen are important to boxing and need more respect, but in the future I'm not going to be one anymore."

TWO Crawley police officers will get compensation payouts from a teenager after he spat in one of their faces and injured another when they had to wrestle him to the ground.

PC Claudia Fornari will get £50 after bruising her knee during the struggle with Devante Durrant, 19, while PC Tom Mooney will get £100 after being covered in saliva.

Durrant was required to report regularly to Crawley Police Station, on Woodfield Road, Northgate, while awaiting his next court hearing for a separate matter.

However, because the station was closed over the Christmas period, he was unable to report there in person on Boxing Day, and claimed he did not fully understand the alternative available to him – that of reporting via telephone.

When he appeared at the station on December 29 he was told he was under arrest, at which point he became aggressive and at least three officers had to wrestle with him to bring him under control.

Prosecuting, Melanie Wotton said: "Officers all ended up on the floor as a result. Mr Durrant struggled with the officers. PC Fornari as a result ended up on the floor, sustaining bruising to the knee.

"PC Mooney also tried to get Mr Durrant under control." The court heard that Durrant spat in the face of PC Mooney during the tussle, with some of his saliva also ending up on a wall.

He was arrested and charged with common assault, for spitting in the officer's face; assault of a police officer, due to the injury sustained by PC Fornari; and resisting a third officer in the execution of their duty.

Durrant, of Grove Hill Road, Tunbridge Wells, pleaded guilty to all three charges at Crawley Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (January 21).

Defending, Daisy Monahan admitted it was "a very unpleasant offence in which officers were spat at" however she pointed out that there were no serious injuries caused the officers.

She told the court her client had been frustrated because he did not believe he had breached his bail conditions in relation to a matter which is to be heard by the crown court. Ms Monahan said he reacted "with some understandable anger" but that it was "an isolated incident".

She added: "He does regret his actions. That is evident through his guilty plea."

Spokeswoman for the three magistrates, Ann Schrader, told Durrant: "It is pretty horrible to have somebody spit in your face. You wouldn't like it, would you?"

Durrant replied: "No."

She continued: "A little bit of thought before you act next time. Think about how you would feel."

In addition to the compensation, Durrant must pay £85 in court costs, to be deducted from his benefits as he is currently not working.