Shocked by the news that London Road had become a ghost town (Letters, July 17), I caught the next bus to see for myself.

Would the bus still stop outside Somerfield - or would it sail straight through a deserted street?

No. It stopped in the usual place and Somerfield was certainly open for business. As were the Co-op, Sainsbury, Iceland, the open market and a number of smaller shops selling food, including two butchers and a greengrocers.

Better do a proper check though, just to make sure this wasn't an illusion. Between York Place and Preston Circus, what did I find?

Six building societies, four banks, Boots, Superdrug, Woolworths - among national chains. MacDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, Forfar, smaller cafes - including an internet cafe - three pubs and three off-licences.

Local electrical retailers as well as Sony and Panasonic. An estate agent, Thomas Cook, Lunn Poly, Sussex Stationer, two camera/photographic shops, three mobile phone shops, two opticians, a dry cleaner, two nail care centres, a cycle shop, Bon Marche, and Peacocks for clothes, a couple of charity shops and other local stores. And a cinema.

And there were lots of people about. Not bad for a "ghost town", despite five empty properties.

As for accessibility, as well as buses to and from most parts of the city (including Woodingdean), there is the London Road multi-storey car park for those who need to use a car.

I'm sick of people rubbishing London Road.

-David Lepper, Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion