Old people are by far the biggest users of the health service so it's alarming to see a new report by Age Concern.

It's saying pensioners are suffering discrimination at every level of the NHS simply because of their age.

It's a scandal patients should be refused treatment and have to wait years for their operations when others go first. It's ageism and it should be stopped.

And it's utterly unacceptable some of them should have to put up with rudeness and abuse.

Some NHS staff may feel it's not worth bothering with these patients because they are elderly and not many years from death.

Will they feel the same way when they are old? We doubt it.

Sussex has the highest proportion of elderly people in the country and one sad case from Brighton is in the report.

This sort of treatment is inexcusable and health bosses must do their utmost to stamp it out.

CYCLING BONANZA

People are always complaining about cyclists causing a nuisance on pavements but one reason they do it is because the roads are so dangerous.

So it's good news work is starting on part of the National Cycleway today between Rye and Camber, taking bikes on to their own special track.

This is one of the best millennium projects, making sure there's a cycleway within reach of every big town and linking them all together.

When the whole network's been completed, cyclists will have no excuse for annoying pedestrians by invading their space.

A BASKET CASE

Trug-making is one of the few traditional crafts left in Sussex.

So it's sad to see that the biggest firm, Thomas Smith Trugs of Hertmonceux, has been wound up in the High Court.

As gardening remains by far the biggest hobby in Britain, there must be a demand for trugs to carry around people's produce.

If business people don't see the commercial possibilities in keeping Thomas Smith going, they must be silly baskets.

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