Hastings has suffered a setback following the rejection by the Government of the planned bypass.

It is already one of the poorest towns in the South-East and its parlous state is a far cry from 50 years ago when it was one of Britain's top five resorts.

One of its main problems is a lack of access.

It is one of the largest seaside towns without any form of bypass.

Transport Secretary Stephen Byers had a difficult decision to make over whether or not to accept the bypass scheme.

There is no doubt the road would destroy a large area of outstanding natural beauty.

But his decision means thousands of jobs and a business park will not now be created for Hastings.

The decision will also affect Bexhill which, although famous for gentility, is also suffering from real deprivation.

What the Government and councils must do is to concentrate on strengthening public transport so connections to and within Hastings are improved.

But, in the longer term, a bypass must be built. The trick will be to minimise its effect on beautiful countryside.

If that means adding to the cost through tunnels, so be it.

Modern engineering methods enable this to be done more cheaply than before.