Beach is deserted as rail dispute takes its toll on tourism

Business bosses' fear of a seven-figure shock to the city’s industries seem to have been realised.

Yesterday seafront traders revealed how takings had fallen away on what should have been one of the busiest weeks in the year.

Tourism bosses said the impact of the strike highlighted a desperate need to increase transport options into the city including a long-mooted park and ride scheme.

Albion fans bemoaned uncertainty over match day train services and raised concerns about the impact of lower attendances could have on the club’s start to the season.

A last-minute agreement saw trains reinstated for last night’s game against Nottingham Forest but fans said it was too late for many to change their plans while concerns were raised about more disruption for Tuesday’s home fixture.

Talks between the RMT and Govia with dispute resolution service Acas continued yesterday while transport secretary Chris Grayling again declined to talk to The Argus on how the long-running dispute could be resolved.

Southern trains reverted to its revised timetable yesterday but there were still disruption thanks a track defect in the Balcombe tunnel, driver unavailability and a power cut caused by a pigeon.

Rail passengers complained cancellations, delays and overcrowding had returned to previous levels and jokingly wished for a return to the “more reliable” strike timetable.

Southern said normal service would resume around Sussex this weekend.

After initially being told no trains would stop at Falmer, with less than four hours before kick-off, Albion supporters learned services would be running to last night's game.

This came after the club had arranged new park and ride services around the city to get fans to the match.

Albion supporter Paul Samrah, founder of Falmer For All campaign, said: “Falmer is a very difficult place to get to without public transport as has been proved by the cancellation of Boxing Day fixtures in the past.

“It’s difficult to know what goes through a player’s mind but if a ball is kicked into a half empty stand and takes ages to come back, it obviously will have an impact.”

Liz Costa, vice-chair of the official Albion supporters’ club, said: “I think attendances will be down on Tuesday night as people won’t be able to get there.

“We just don’t know from one hour to the other what this train company will do, the football club can’t pre-empt everything.”

Jeremy Ogden, chairman of the Brighton and Hove Hotels Association, said: “It must have had an impact on the city, I know hoteliers are not happy.

“There are people who have booked long time in advance who would have come regardless but those last-minute, short notice bookings would have gone elsewhere and might not come back to Brighton.”

BUSINESS HITS THE BUFFERS AND TRADERS FEEL THE PAIN

LUNCHTIME on the second Friday in August, one of the warmest days of the year. But Brighton seafront is a long way from packed.

Deck chairs lie stacked up waiting for use, ice-cream queues vanish as quickly as they melt and there’s little fighting for the toilets.

At the Mechanical Memories, Jerry Chattenton looks out of his booth and on to an empty room.

Normally at this time of year, the machines at his Old Time Penny Arcade are buzzing and clacking away, spilling out cash to cheery punters.

“There’s your answer,” said Mr Chattenton, pointing at the silence, responding to a question about the effect of nearly a week of rail strikes.

“I should think my takings are probably down by half on last year for this time of year,” he added.

“The problem is it could not have come at a worse time – if they could have waited until January it would not have been a problem but this is the middle of the school holidays. This is as good as it gets.

“For all of us down here, this is when we make our money.

“What’s worse is it is a pointless strike about nothing.”

The Southern rail network has been experiencing delays pretty much ever since work started on redeveloping London Bridge in the spring of 2014, slowly constricting the flow of visitors to the South Coast.

Yet the flow has reduced to a trickle this week as the conductors walked out in a dispute over proposed changes to their role.

Mr Chattenton is not the only one feeling the pain. Shortly after 2pm on Friday, the Southern Belle carousel, in prime seafront space, was gently making its round with only one family on board, a mother holding on to her tiny son.

Jordan Welch, 18, manning the ride owned by his grandfather, said things had been less busy than usual.

“You would expect there to be a big queue round about now,” he said. “But there is not.

“On a day like today, it should be jam packed. Instead, it is empty.”

It is impossible to know exactly how much business has been lost due to the rail problems and strikes.

But among those who have become as attuned to the footfall as to the ringing of their tills, it is clear there is less of both.

“Footfall on the beach has been really a lot less than what it should be at this time of year,” said Mark Hedger, of Brighton Beach Bikes.

“Especially given the weather has been good and the atmosphere is nice.

“I am sure the trains are having an effect. We are a tourist town and our main line from London has been cut off and it’s not easy to drive down here.”

Like many here, his message to the unions, rail bosses and Government was straightforward: “Just sort it out.”

At the long-running Seasiders café, 16-year-old Olivia Daly, in her first job, has also noticed a difference over the past week.

“Normally it’s packed on a Friday,” she said.

“You cannot get five minutes to yourself.

“But this week when the sun’s out it has not been as busy as normal.”

At the Brighton Smokehouse fish smokers, owner Jack Mills was also having a slower week.

“Business is massively down,” he said. “Normally we have quite a lot of people in from London, which we just have not seen.

“It’s impossible to get into Brighton by car and it’s impossible by train as well so it does not leave many options. Parachuting, perhaps.

“I think if the company running the trains cannot do the job, sack them.”

And at nearby Sammy’s Sun Shack, there had been distinctly fewer flip flops, beach balls and other holiday items flying off the racks.

“I wouldn’t say this week has been particularly bad,” said worker Ryan Gillam, 23. “But it has been bad all summer and I think that’s down to the trains.

“Normally you have thousands of people here but there is no one around. They need so sort it out.”

But for this who did visit yesterday, they were glad they had.

“I just love Brighton,” said Wendy Tyrrell-Lynch, visiting from Crouch End by camper van with her husband Garry.

“It’s probably my favourite place to come that’s by the sea.”