Here are ten stories that made the news in November and December 2025.
Safety concerns meant Battle’s Christmas lights were not put up (Image: Oast House Archive)
On November 6, Battle residents were left without their usual Christmas lights after a safety inspection revealed much of the ageing festive lighting infrastructure was no longer safe for use.
A full electrical installation condition report found most of the scheme needed replacing and was unfit for use this year.
In response, Battle Town Football Club launched an independent fundraising campaign to install new lights along the High Street, raising more than £8,400.
The council later clarified it was not involved in the crowdfunder but was exploring options for the necessary repairs for 2026.
Children were “left screaming” after “hardcore porn” was played on a ferry from France to Sussex (Image: Supplied)
November 12 saw ferry company DFDS apologise after an explicit film was accidentally shown to passengers on a ferry from Dieppe to Newhaven.
The film aired in a public lounge following the F1 Grand Prix, with children among those exposed and allegedly “left screaming”.
A DFDS spokesman said: “We are very sorry for the understandable upset and anger that this caused for the families onboard who unfortunately viewed this content.”
The ferry company confirmed the channel has since been removed from the ship’s TV system.
Norman Cook, known as Fatboy Slim, announced he had sold the Big Beach Café (Image: The Argus)
On November 15, Norman Cook, also known as Fatboy Slim, announced he had sold the Big Beach Café at Hove Lagoon to Kash Miah and his sons, who plan to rebrand it as ‘Off the Beach.’
The music artist bought the cafe in 2013 from former model, businesswoman and animal rights activist Heather Mills
Mr Cook and business partner Daniel Stockland said: “We have indeed come a long, long way together – through the hard times and the good … and after serving over two million customers with nearly a million hot drinks, half a million ice creams, 50,000 cheesy chips and given away nearly 100,000 doggie sausages, it’s time to hand over to a younger team.”
Heathfield residents John Fearman and Angela West celebrate their Postcode Lottery win (Image: People’s Postcode Lottery)
Further west, on 21 November, news broke that three neighbours in Heathfield had won £333,333 on the People’s Postcode Lottery.
One of the winners, plumber John Fearman, described the win as life-changing after spotting the familiar red jackets of the lottery crew and learning of his good fortune.
Mr Fearman had played for 11 years and was considering stopping just a month before the win.
He said: “It just proves you never know what’s around the corner.”
An artist impression of the new junction (Image: Brighton and Hove City Council))
In transport news, Brighton and Hove City Council confirmed on December 5 that work would begin in January to replace the aquarium roundabout with a new seafront junction as part of phase three of the Valley Gardens project.
Trevor Muten, the council’s cabinet member for transport and city infrastructure, said the new junction would improve safety and connectivity for all users.
He added: “The new aquarium junction is going to be a very positive change.
“It will make it much easier and safer for pedestrians and cyclists to cross and use smart technology to help the flow of traffic and public transport.”
West Hove Infant School and Hove Junior School (Image: Google Maps)
On December 10, it was announced that an anonymous donor had wiped out a £670,651 budget deficit for the Hove Learning Federation, which includes West Hove Infants and Hove Junior School.
The donation prompted discussions about transparency and fairness among other school leaders.
Headteachers elsewhere in the city expressed concern that such large, undisclosed donations could set a precedent for privately funding state education, raising issues of equity and council policy.
A spokesman for Hove Learning Federation said: “The donor has requested anonymity, which we respect.
“We have been fully transparent with Brighton and Hove City Council throughout, and everything has been managed correctly and openly through appropriate processes.”
A Woodingdean couple received two fines while renewing their blue badges (Image: Supplied)
On December 13, a disabled couple in their eighties near Woodingdean had two parking fines cancelled after mistakenly receiving them while one of their blue badges was out for renewal.
Their daughter Sharon said the fines had caused them significant distress, adding: “I’m so concerned they’ll get a bailiff letter – it would freak them out.”
The council said the fines were correctly issued because the badges were not displayed, but cancelled them after reviewing the circumstances.
Frank Bonefaas, a trawler tracked fishing off the Sussex coast (Image: Sussex Dolphin Project)
Concerns about environmental protection surfaced on December 17, after the Sussex Dolphin Project tracked seven supertrawlers operating off the Sussex coast in the eastern English Channel.
The supertrawlers, which can measure more than 100m long and are often foreign-owned, are legally allowed to fish in UK waters but are not subject to the same legislation as the UK’s sustainable fishing community.
They were described as posing a threat to marine life including dolphins, with campaigners calling for tighter restrictions in UK waters.
Theatregoers demand refunds after saying they had to queue to leave the show (Image: World’s Biggest Productions)
Also making headlines on December 17 was the “Wicked Wizard of Oz: A Cirque Spectacular” show at the Brighton Centre, with many describing it as the worst production they had ever seen.
Many left during the interval and sought refunds.
Attendees were scathing of the performance, with James Macmillan branding it “the worse theatrical experience of my life” and John Taylor suggesting “it looked like it was produced and directed by eight-year-olds”.
The scaffolding collapsed onto cars in Hove (Image: Eddie Mitchell)
On December 18 emergency services responded to a scaffolding collapse on First Avenue in Hove.
Several cars were damaged, though nobody was injured.
One resident said: “I heard a great crash and went to the window and saw it.
“My car is under there; it’s an inconvenience but fortunately no one is hurt. My wife had said last night that the scaffolding was making a noise. It’s nonsense, it shouldn’t have fallen down.”
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