An education director has been branded a Vulcan by a headteacher angry at his handling of a controversial merger.

David Hawker has been compared to Star Trek character Mr Spock, who is devoid of emotion and can only deal with things in a logical way.

The attack on the director of education for Brighton and Hove has come from Richard Sutton-Smith, former head of Goldstone Primary School.

He quit amid claims the education authority had failed to create a single site school.

Mr Sutton-Smith, 41, was appointed two years ago on the understanding that Goldstone Junior School, in Laburnum Avenue, Hove, and Knoll Infants School, in Stapley Road, Hove, would move to one site.

He resigned in September after the merger went ahead in name only, saying staff had become exhausted trying to run two sites.

He will take up his new post as head of a school in Tunbridge Wells in the new year.

His criticism of Mr Hawker came in a letter to city councillor Jenny Barnard-Langston.

He said: "I deeply regret the lack of leadership and abysmal communication skills of the director.

"It is symptomatic of his Vulcan tendencies that I have received no good wishes for next year or thanks for the past ten."

Mr Hawker said he did not want to respond to any personal attack.

He said: "We wish Richard Sutton-Smith well for the future."