End of the line for commuters

There will be chaos for commuters when train drivers employed by Connex SouthCentral hold the first of six one-day strikes on Tuesday.

Passengers will be entitled to blame both the drivers' union Aslef and the train company when up to nine out of ten services fail to run.

The strikes are the inevitable result when a tough, old-style union comes up against a hard-nosed privatised rail company.

Neither has been prepared to give way on the vexed question of overtime, although agreements have been reached with many other privatised operators.

The strikes have been designed at a time of maximum embarrassment for Connex when it's seeking to renew its franchise, despite sustained pressure from rivals Stagecoach and Thameslink.

If they're not settled, the strategic rail authority may ask why this has happened to Connex on top of its poor record over punctuality.

The franchise bid looks inviting and impressive. But what chance is there of it being implemented when Connex can't stop its drivers from striking or get its services running to time?

Derelict decision

The Ropetackle site in Shoreham has been derelict for so long most people can't recall it as anything but an

eyesore.

But now Adur Council has sold it to the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), there's a real chance something will happen.

It's a prime site, right next to the river and town centre. It could provide much-needed housing and leisure for Shoreham.

SEEDA can make a flying start in Shoreham by showing it can succeed where councillors and private developers have failed over decades.

Folly's finish

Botanist James Bateman took six years to create a unique back garden grotto at his home in Farncombe Road, Worthing.

But it didn't take bulldozers much more than six hours to destroy it after surveyors decided it was dangerous.

What a pity the council didn't pay more attention to this eccentric masterpiece so that it could have taken action before the demolition gang moved in.

A fine folly has been lost for ever to be replaced by a suburban building site. For grotto, read grotty.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.