Latest news with #Eastbourne
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Sussex companies and businesspeople named and shamed for not paying their taxes
Seven firms and individuals operating in Sussex have been named and shamed for deliberately not paying their taxes. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) updated its list of deliberate tax defaulters on June 18, revealing businesses and individuals who have received penalties for deliberately defaulting on their tax obligations, where the tax lost exceeds £25,000. The list includes those who made deliberate errors in their tax returns or deliberately failed to comply with their tax obligations. READ MORE: Businesses in Sussex named and shamed for failing to pay minimum wage Among the defaulters is BKE N.E. Ltd, a management consultancy business with offices in Newcastle and at 7–9 The Avenue, Eastbourne. The company was in default between April 18, 2019, and April 30, 2023, and accumulated a tax liability of £144,027, resulting in a penalty of £70,573.21, according to HMRC. Golden City 54 Limited, trading as Golden City, a takeaway on Ewhurst Road, Crawley, defaulted between October 1, 2017, and October 31, 2021, owing £88,549.86 in tax and resulting in a penalty of £61,984.88. Jakub Krzysztof Ciok, formerly trading as J C Tyres on Longford Road, Bognor Regis, was in default from April 6, 2016, until March 31, 2022, accumulating a tax bill of £64,960.43 and a penalty of £26,002.21. Golden City takeaway in Crawley was included on the list (Image: Google)READ NEXT: 50% increase in dangerous dog incidents with 1,063 involving children aged under 10 Msteamstelephony Ltd, a telephony installation company on The Drive, Iford, had two default periods between June 15, 2021, and September 30, 2023, resulting in a total tax liability of £36,579 and penalties amounting to £19,203.96. Heman Aziz Ahmad, involved in tobacco importation at Hughenden Road, Hastings, was in default on May 2, 2023, incurring a tax obligation of £37,441 and a penalty of £15,725.22. Property income earner, Peter Ernest Michael Shade, was in default from April 6, 2010, through to April 5, 2020, owing £63,470.16 in tax and was fined £34,725.03. His principal address was Sunnymead Drive, Selsey. Pest controller Malcolm Paradine, based on Crossbush Lane, Arundel, was in default from April 6, 2017, to April 5, 2022, during which he accumulated a tax liability of £52,540.13 and a penalty of £22,690.16. The details of these tax defaulters will remain published for 12 months. However, this list only includes those penalised under civil procedures and does not include criminal convictions for tax fraud. READ NEXT: Heat alert upgraded and deaths 'likely' as temperatures continue to soar Kevin Hubbard, HMRC's director of individuals and small business compliance, said: "The overwhelming majority pay the tax they owe, but for those who refuse, we use a range of tools to take firm action. "This includes publishing the names of those penalised for deliberate defaults to influence taxpayer behaviour and encourage defaulters to engage with HMRC."
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Man dies after car ‘driven off edge of cliff' as coastguard and firefighters rush to scene
A MAN tragically died after a car drove off a cliff near a seaside town. Sussex Police said a car was spotted at the edge of the cliffs at Eastbourne. 3 3 Emergency services were called just after 7.30pm last night. Officers, the coastguard and lifeboats rushed to the scene but sadly the vehicle had already been driven over the edge and plunged 530ft to the base of the cliff. The driver, a man from Kent, was taken from the water but sadly was pronounced dead at the scene. The chalk cliffs near Eastbourne are east of the famous Seven Sisters and are thought to be the highest in Britain. Cops said: 'Emergency services were called at 7.38pm on Wednesday to a report a car had been seen at the edge off the cliff at Eastbourne. "Officers attended but the vehicle was driven off the edge of the cliff. "The driver of the car, a man from the Kent area, was retrieved from the water but was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. "There were no suspicious circumstances, and a report will be prepared for HM Coroner.'
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Replica Spanish 16th Century ship docks in Eastbourne
A replica of the first ship to circumnavigate the globe has docked in East Nao Victoria was built in Spain in 1991 and is a reproduction of a sailing vessel that left Seville in 1519, returning in 1522 after sailing around the modern Nao Victoria made a similar journey between 2004 and arrived in Eastbourne on Tuesday. The original was part of a fleet of five that set off from Spain in 1519 but the only one to complete the was lost at sea in modern counterpart will be docked at the Sovereign Harbour until 22 June, and will be open to the public between 10:00 and 20:00 BST.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
I paid £83.50 for just an HOUR of parking after firm fined me for a 'stupid reason'
A mental health support worker paid £83.50 for just an hour of parking - after a firm fined him for not buying a ticket, even though their machine was out of order. Lenny Samms, 63, of Eastbourne, told MailOnline he received an £85 charge in early January for the totally accidental breach in October last year. He parked at Iceland - but with the payment machine not working, he could not buy a ticket: 'I thought, "There's other cars here, I'll just get on with my day".' Mr Samms was only away from his car for an hour, which normally costs £1.50 - so with an £85 charge, he essentially paid £83.50 more than he should have had to. That comes in at a pricey £1.40 per minute - nearly the normal hourly rate, thanks to the fine issued by Horizon Parking. He explained the machine was out of order when he received the charge - but with no proof, he ended up just paying it: 'I didn't want to go to court and try to explain it. 'I didn't take a photograph of the machine saying out of order when I should have.' But he said: 'I felt sort of isolated, I'm sure that other people have gone through it but I had no support or a witness or anyone else I knew that had gone through it. Lenny Samms (pictured), 63, of Eastbourne, told MailOnline he received an £85 charge in early January for the totally accidental breach in October last year He parked at Iceland (pictured) - but with the payment machine not working, he could not buy a ticket: 'I thought, "There's other cars here, I'll just get on with my day"' Mr Samms was only away from his car for an hour, which normally costs £1.50 - so with an £85 charge, he essentially paid £83.50 more than he should have had to 'That's why I was thinking, "Should I reach out to anyone on Facebook who had gone through a similar thing?" 'Because it's a local town, Eastbourne is not that big and I wondered if anyone had gone through it but then you feel quite isolated really. And it's annoying really.' He continued: 'When you're getting a parking charge like this, it can be quite intimidating, threatening you with court procedures and all this. 'I just wish I had the proof but I know next time to get proof, you need evidence. 'It was a hard lesson to learn, really, then I probably wouldn't have had to pay it.' But Mr Samms never thought he would have to go on to prove the machine was not working - with CCTV cameras in the car park to already show that was the case. The 63-year-old continued: 'I just naively thought that the machine and the camera sort of liaise together. I didn't expect a ticket to come through the post.' And it was only after paying the charge and discussing it with an Iceland employee that he discovered there is a second payment machine in the car park. But Mr Samms never thought he would have to go on to prove the machine was not working - with CCTV cameras in the car park (pictured, a sign in the Iceland car park) to already show that was the case But it is not visible unless you are entering the supermarket - which he was not - and there is no notice in the car park informing customers it is there. Drivers facing trouble with unexpected charges from parking firms has become an increasingly well-documented issue in recent times. In fact, analysis by MailOnline has shown 'cowboy' parking firms are now doling out a record number of tickets. Government figures suggest private operators issued 12.8million fines in 2023/24 – one every two seconds. This is up nearly 90 per cent in just five years, despite the Government repeatedly vowing to stop predatory operators. With 2024/25 on track to be even worse, ministers are facing renewed calls to get tough on the ruthless firms causing misery for millions of motorists. Simon Williams, head of policy at the RAC, said it was 'scandalous' how motorists were being stung by broken technology and firms deploying sneaky signs to take 'advantage of law-abiding citizens'. He revealed he was working with parliamentarians to stop parking firms 'marking their own homework' by overhauling the current complaints process. Mr Samms said: 'When you're getting a parking charge like this, it can be quite intimidating, threatening you with court procedures and all this'. Pictured: The machine in the Iceland car park Mr Williams said: 'We want a truly independent single appeals service that only the Government backed private parking code of practice will deliver. 'We also want a scrutiny board which will ensure private parking operators conform to the rules and will face consequences if they do not.' Mr Samms echoed this sentiment too: 'The parking companies are known to be quite greedy and misleading, aren't they? So, it's no surprise, it's all about money... 'When you work hard for your money and you've got a mortgage to pay and bills to pay and the cost of living is going up, the last thing you want is to have to find £85.' The support worker, who has lived in Eastbourne all his life, has said parking in the town has become noticeably more expensive in recent years. He said: 'I've seen Eastbourne changed, like most towns are getting bigger, whereas years ago, you used be able to park in town without paying.' Payment has only come in the last ten or 15 years he said: 'Before, you could just park freely, but now, in and around the town, the radius, where you can't park for free anymore, you've got to park way outside of town if you want to park for free.' He also often visits Brighton, only a 20-minute drive away - but finds it very expensive to park there too. He continued: 'I just wish I had the proof but I know next time to get proof, you need evidence'. Pictured: A sign in the Iceland car park Your browser does not support iframes. Mr Samms said: 'It was the Green Party that made Brighton expensive to park to encourage tourists to use public transport but in fact what it was doing was keeping people away from Brighton. 'The parking was so expensive, you could spend £30 for a few hours. So, you do your shopping and things and you have a £35 bill.' Private parking firms are on course to issue a record 14.5million tickets to drivers in Britain in a year – with just five companies responsible for nearly half of them. And the firm behind Mr Samms' charge, Horizon Parking, is one of them. The RAC found car park management firms' requests to the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) reached 7.2million in the six months to the end of last September. That is up 12 per cent from the same period a year earlier and represents an average of 41,000 requests per day. The RAC added if the rate continued for the following six months, 14.5million tickets will have been issued over a year. The five parking companies which issued 45 per cent of tickets between April and September last year were ParkingEye (1,129,000), Euro Car Parks (892,000), Horizon Parking (440,000), Smart Parking (424,000) and APCOA Parking (367,000). Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Private companies chase vehicle owners for alleged infringements in private car parks, such as at shopping centres, leisure facilities and motorway service areas. Each ticket can be up to £100, meaning the daily total cost to drivers may be near £4.1million at the current rate. But private parking firms have been accused of using misleading and confusing signs, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees. An investigation by the PA news agency earlier this year found drivers across England say they are being sent parking charge notices (PCNs) because of faulty machines, which one campaigner claiming the devices are 'set up to trap people'. A Bill to enable the introduction of a Government-backed code for private parking companies received royal assent under the Conservative government in March 2019. The code was withdrawn in June 2022 after a legal challenge by parking companies. Horizon Parking told MailOnline: 'We manage the car park on behalf of the landowner to ensure that their customers are able to park and utilise the facilities as required. This helps prevent abuse including ensuring disabled bays are kept free for those who need them. 'There is a clearly set out appeals process which motorists can follow if they feel that they should not have received a Charge. We are members of the British Parking Association and adhere to the Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice. 'Without further information such as Parking Charge reference or vehicle registration we are unable to investigate this matter or comment any further. 'If a motorist receives a Parking Charge in these circumstances it is possible to investigate any issues with the payment machines from the back-office system, however without a specific date it is not possible to do so. 'Please note that payment on arrival is required and payment at the machine would not be possible if a motorist had remained in the car park for longer than the permitted maximum stay of 1 hour which is why it may have appeared not to be working. There is also the option to pay via our Horizon Parking app or website at by entering the location code advertised in the car park.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
LGBTQ+ parents face trauma, says Eastbourne mother
Parents from the LGBTQ+ community face "trauma and discrimination," a mother from Sussex has said. Libby King started Bourne this Way five years ago in her home town of Eastbourne as a support group to provide a non-judgmental space for LGBTQ+ parents, their children, as well as prospective parents.A recent survey found more than half (56%) of LGBTQ+ parents face negative comments about their King said people assume "it has to be Mummy and Daddy and a man and a woman, and you know in this day and age, it doesn't, and it isn't." Ms King said the group regularly meet in Eastbourne "with our t-shirts on in parks, beaches, farms, etcetera".She added: "We are part of the community and we do have children."She said LGBTQ+ parents go through similar challenges to other families but "we probably face a lot more trauma and discrimination" than heterosexual couples. Bourne This Way aims to bring people together within the community, to "offer support, share advice and promote wellbeing for those wishing to embark on starting a family".It also offers a space for individuals and couples who have children already and would like to spend time with people who have shared similar experiences. If you have been affected by any of the issues mentioned in this story, please contact the BBC Action Line. Research by the charity Just Like Us, found 42% of children from LGBTQ+ families had experienced remarks about their said heterosexual, nuclear families are often still seen as the default with a third of all LGBTQ+ parents saying their school refers to families as "mums and dads" by Ingold from the charity said: "It's 2025 and there are no longer just mums and dads. There are all sorts of different families out there" "If we want to build a kinder, more inclusive society, that means building one in which LGBT families are just as accepted as everyone else."
