The number of people with Aids or carrying the HIV virus in Crawley is rising.

Sexual health advisers say there have been 18 new cases of Aids or HIV in the town in the past 12 months.

Charity workers fear the figures could be higher because many people simply do not tell anyone when they are diagnosed.

Billy Potter, a welfare officer at the Mid Sussex Body Positive group in Three Bridges, said Crawley's proximity to Gatwick played a part in the figures.

She said: "People think it has gone away but it hasn't. It can be controlled by drugs but not cured."