I know that Worthing, like everywhere else, is hit by the economic crunch, but it looks as if its been hit by a tornado compared with other Sussex towns which have suffered a gale.

Just take a look along Montague Street, Warwick Street and Chapel Road and there is empty shop after empty shop.

These traders are closing just at the start of the Christmas rush, not after it.

In recent weeks I've visited town centres in Brighton, Chichester, Horsham and in comparison they're positively booming.

What has Worthing got that these other towns haven't?

A small army of enforcement officers making life hell for people trying to park in the town and for traders trying to attract shoppers here (and that's apart from the astronomical cost of car parking here).

Worthing councillors should hang their heads in shame for introducing this army of jobsworths into our town.

Have local councillors got so out of touch with local people, their electors?

They are doing a superb job in driving shoppers out of the town, which results in businesses no longer viable.

Is that really what Worthing councillors want? Because that's what they are getting.

The parking of cars is policed so "well" that it seems we have a parking enforcement officer on every street corner.

Compare this saturation policing with that of virtually any other aspect of our lives.

Have we got saturation policing to protect us from burglars, rapists, muggers, drunken drivers or the crazy excesses of the banking world which has cost the country billions?
-------------------------------------
Click here to go back to Tony Mayes.

Where are you? Add your pin to the Herald's international readers' map by clicking here.

Email the Herald: tony.mayes@worthingherald.co.uk


Of course not. So why on earth have we allowed ourselves to sleepwalk our way to a situation where we are driven to distraction over car parking?

We've now got virtually two police forces operating in Britain.

One is the conventional police force, the other local councils taking over functions which were in the domain of the police in the past.

And motorists are in the forefront of all this because they are easy picking.

A few minutes over on a parking meter, or failing to spot a sign which closes a car parking bay and its an instant £35 fine.

It's the same mentality which has put speeding cameras up all over the country.

If you really want to catch the worst speeding offenders, you get police in cars and catch them, not cameras in public view as a "deterrant."

All they are doing is stopping excess speed at that point, not half a mile down the road.

It's councils which have been at the forefront of all this persecution, not the police.

I wonder how much better Worthing would be if we scrapped all parking restrictions other than double yellow lines, provided no loading and unloading areas and zones for disabled drivers, and did away with parking meters.

I'm sure there would be many more shoppers coming into Worthing.

One council has seen the light and scrapped speed cameras in its areas.

Let's be as bold here and scrap parking restrictions and rid ourselves of these over-zealous parking jobsworths once and for all.

Or, perhaps, better still, take away some of the powers which currently rests with local government.

On the subject of councils' ever-increasing powers and their increasing ability to control our lives, I was fascinated to read the Worthing Herald story of the two Worthing binmen "fined" for littering.

They were seen smoking in a dustcart cab and throwing the stubs out of the window.

Council staff have, in the past, spotted motorists throwing stubs out of their vehicles and the council has successfully prosecuted the culprits.

A council taxpayer turned the tables on the council by reporting the dustmen and I'm pleased to see the council taking action against its own.

But despite all this "policing" we will have a multitude of fag ends in the streets of Worthing, and plenty of other litter, too.

Try walking town centre streets at 7am and see the filth left over from youngsters' revelries of the night before!

Beats me where they get the money to go clubbing night after night and also have cash for fireworks night after night?