Slip sliding away

So last Friday's snow and ice, having been predicted, really came as no surprise, although clearly some people at the council weren't party to this information.

Picture the scene, traditionally the busiest Saturday in the year for shopping, and save for two small cleared paths, the precinct was like an ice rink, sorry add the word dangerous to that, and the pavements on a number of the surrounding roads had no treatment.

For those people who actually wanted to support Worthing's depleted shopping network they almost had to take their life in their hands in order to try put some money into our local economy.

My good friend John Wildman, who has one of his butchers shops in Portland Road, told me of at least two shoppers slipping over and requiring ambulances, within the first hour of normal trading.

It now transpires that allegedly at least 10 people were admitted to A and E at Worthing on Saturday, as result of falling over on the dangerous surfaces.

My son, no Einstein, but at 14 an intelligent lad, woke up Saturday and as he planned to go shopping in town wondered what the council would be doing to make the pavements safe.

Cleary apart from a token effort not a lot. I sincerely hope any of the people weren't too seriously injured.

But how come the council can be so efficent in certain areas and then incompentent in others?

Perhaps bizarrely at the crematorium on Friday, the council contractors did have enough grit to take care of the whole driveway, leading right up to both chapels?

The bottom line is, someone hasn't done their job properly and people have got hurt, time for some heads to roll?

Many thanks to both Pete Longhurst and Lindsey Walker who, as well as a number of other Herald readers, got in touch about my request for information regarding Cliff Richard appearing at St Mary's Church, Broadwater.

It even managed to get a mention on Dave Hunt's, our very own local Peter Pan of pop, breakfast show on Splash FM.

I'm informed that the concert took place one Sunday evening in January, 1973, and came about because Rachel, the daughter of the then Rector of Broadwater, the Rev Garth Hewitt, was involved with the charity Tear Fund and Sir Cliff was a prominent figure in the organisation.

And finally, it only leaves me to wish all the readers a very merry Christmas and happy new year.

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