Sussex weekly round-up: 27 April - 3 May 2024
Getty ImagesThe story about a Conservative MP saying he was deported from Dijbouti because of the country's ties to China proved a popular read this week.
A variety of local issues featured on the BBC News website, BBC Radio Sussex and BBC South East Today.
We have picked five stories from the past week in case you missed them.
Bookshop opens at 5am for local writers
A bookshop in East Sussex has launched an early morning initiative to help writers.
Kemptown Bookshop, in St George's Rd, Brighton, opens its doors at 05:00 BST on the first Wednesday of every month for a silent writing session.
Owner Cathy Hayward said: “There's no workshopping, just the motivation of being around other writers as the sun comes up.”
A writer who attends The 5am Writing Club said it was a “monthly landmark that keeps me on track”.
Sussex hit by lightning strikes overnight
BBC/Sam Dixon-FrenchParts of East and West Sussex have been hit by lightning strikes overnight after the Met Office issued a thunderstorm warning.
Four engines from East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service (ESFRS) were called to a fire at two homes in Polegate, following a lightning strike.
The roof of a care home in Elmer was damaged after being struck, while a university building in Chichester also sustained damage to its roof and power system, said West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service (WSFRS).
The services said no-one was injured in the incidents.
Train hits part of level crossing barrier on track
Eddie Mitchell A railway line in West Sussex has reopened after a passenger train struck part of a level crossing barrier earlier, a rail company has said.
Network Rail said a Southern driver reported hitting the debris at Adversane, near Billingshurst, at about 08:15 BST.
In a statement, Southern said "lines have now reopened" and "service is returning to normal, but trains running between Arundel and Horsham may still be cancelled or delayed".
It said disruption was expected to continue until about 13:00 BST.
Suspected cannabis found in arcade prize
Spotted Crawley A small bag of suspected drugs has been found inside an arcade machine at a Sussex bowling alley.
Sussex Police were called to Hollywood Bowl, in London Road, Crawley, on Saturday after reports that cannabis was discovered in a toy egg which had been inside a grab machine.
Officers seized the package and have taken it for testing to identify the substance.
A spokesperson for Hollywood Bowl said it took customer welfare “extremely seriously” and that the machine was removed from the arcade floor as soon as the incident was reported.
Sixteen-year-old sentenced to life for drug murder
Sussex PoliceA teenager has been sentenced to life for murdering another teen over a drug debt.
Armin Mehdikhani-Sarvejahani will serve a minimum of 17 years for stabbing Mustafa Momand in Brighton in October 2023.
The trial at Lewes Crown Court had heard the killing happened over a £20,000 drug debt.
Mehdikhani-Sarvejahani can be named for the first time after media organisations, including the BBC, made an application to get an anonymity order lifted.
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