How many men does it take to lift a two-seater foam sofa? According to the self-congratulatory paper of Brighton and Hove City Council, City News, the answer is eight.

To be more precise, seven men to lift and one to supervise. In the article "Sofa so good", these men making up the beach-cleaning crew are referred as "our heroes".

While this goes some way to explain the mentality behind our rocketing council taxes since Labour has come into power, it poses another question: What do we now call our boys and girls who are risking their lives under extreme conditions in Iraq?

-N M Malta, Bishops Road, Hove