There is an old saying that if it isn't broke, don't fix it, and that would certainly apply to Worthing Borough Council's bizarre decision to change rubbish collection rules.

From June 23, householders will have to cart their refuse from the back to the front of their homes if they want it collected.

Now, instead of the street scene looking reasonably clean, residential roads will be piled high with black bin bags, which are unsightly to say the least.

Still, at least foxes, seagulls, rats and cats will have a field day, tearing open the bags and spreading the rubbish around.

Apparently, dustmen don't like going down alleyways where they could be hurt by overhanging branches or slippery surfaces.

In Sentinel's opinion, the old system has worked perfectly well for more than a century so why change it?

To add insult to injury, the council has spent thousands of pounds putting out thousands of glossy leaflets informing people of the changes, which few residents want.

The Liberal Democrats, who also messed about with recycling rotas for no apparent reason, may pay a heavy price at the polls next year.

Sentinel urges every elderly and disabled householder in the borough to claim an exemption, which means they can still leave refuse out the back.

Sentinel does not envy the task of the committee running Ferring Residents' and Owners Association, which is tasked with maintaining the private roads in this picturesque village and collecting cash from sometimes reluctant residents.

Out of a total membership of 1,250, almost 400 have not paid the annual £60 subscription which ensures the roads are kept to a reasonable standard.

Sentinel raised a rather quizzical eyebrow at the following comment from the association's chairman relating to the fact that, despite being privately maintained, the roads were still subject to the Road Traffic Act and "unfortunately this means you cannot drink and drive".

He also noted with interest that motorists driving around the village do not need a tax disc.

However, once they enter Sea Lane or Ferringham Lane normal rules apply, which rather limits the scope of those bitten by the travel bug.

Skirmishing for snippets in East Worthing recently, Sentinel noted a house in Brighton Road with the Indian-sounding nameplate Chillianwalla.

It sparked a spot of research which revealed that this is the name of a great battle fought between the British and the Sikhs in January 1849.

According to the history books, the British were given a bit of a pasting, although the result of the engagement in terms of winners and losers was indecisive.

One wonders what the origin of that nameplate is?

Perhaps an ageing veteran of the battle lived there in the latter part of the 19th Century.

Sentinel was saddened to note that numerous windows in the vicinity of the Pavilion Theatre have been smashed by stone-throwing vandals.

Several shops have also been targeted, including Alleyoops and Richard John hairdressing salon, and the general area is beginning to look a bit of a mess.

This is compounded by the litter blowing around the streets every morning between Thursday and Sunday, when revellers spill out of clubs and go for a late-night snack.

Subway sandwich shop in Chapel Road, serving hot baguettes, is allowed to open until 3am on some mornings, which is hardly conducive to the dispersal of drunken revellers.

Which brings Sentinel on to another point - the street-drinking ban supposedly in force around the town centre.

On Saturday night, at about 8pm, he saw no less than five people swigging from opened bottles and cans in just five minutes, which rather suggests the ban isn't working.

Sentinel was interested to learn Worthing's town centre manager Sharon Clarke was planning to organise a couple of markets based on the sale of locally-grown farm produce but after sending out no less than 250 letters of invitation, she got just one reply.

Strolling along Montague Street, Sentinel noted the Marks & Spencer clock is still out of action, many months after the hands ceased to function.

Surely it is not beyond the powers of this major national company to get the clock fixed for the benefit of shoppers.

Sentinel must confess that the gateway to Worthing formed by the Teville Gate multi-storey car park is hardly the most attractive feature in the town but it is hardly improved by the elevation of a skip to form an advert on the other side of Broadwater Road.

Further to the late Stan Moore, Sentinel recalls interviewing him about plans to turn the Sea Place/Eirene Road area into a major watersports' centre based around the yacht club and sincerely hopes that one day Stan's vision will be realised.

Sentinel hears that a new part of West Durrington, not far from the West Worthing Club, has been nicknamed Beiruit, courtesy of anti-social elements who have run down the estate.

Temparatures soared over the weekend and Worthing seafront was brimming with both residents and daytrippers basking in glorious sunshine that put foreign hotspots in the shade.

But the shine was taken off the summer fun by the closure of the popular children's paddling pool near the Aquarena which was suffering from "mechanical failure" according to a notice.

Sentinel took a tour around the Castle Goring estate last week and for the first time got a glimpse of the south-facing facade of the historic folly, which is stunning.

While the north side resembles a Gothic castle, the south side is inspired by the architecture of ancient Rome, complete with stone-carvings of what looked from a distance like Greek gods, or possibly angelic cherubs.

Castle Goring is today used as a language school but during the Second World War was requisitioned by soldiers who proceeded to wreck much of the inside.

One even took an axe to an ornate organ, presumably out of boredom, which seems such a sad waste more than 50 years on.

The owners of Castle Goring were at the time given just days to get out, resulting in many of their belongings, including fine pieces of furniture, being sold off at giveaway prices.

We are talking of artefacts which today turn up on the Antiques Roadshow and are incredibly valuable.

Sentinel was told that some of the oaks on the estate were planted at the close of the Napoleonic Wars to provide timber for wooden warships to replace those lost during the fighting.

Sentinel had a tour of the magnificent walled garden, a substantial area of overgrown ground where pheasants were once reared under netting.

Surrounded by a 15ft high wall, which acts as both a sun trap and a windbreak, it would be the perfect spot for leisure facilities, such as tennis courts, and maybe a small outdoor swimming lido.

Sentinel moved on to the picturesque lake and watched large fish leap out of the murky waters with a refreshing splash which sent gentle ripples to the water's edge, where giant shoals of small rudd patrolled the shallows.

Close by, sheep grazed in a truly breathtaking and idyllic woodland area, which looked like a cross between a Constable oil painting and The Shire from Lord Of The Rings.