Having run a car since 1958, I have experienced the inevitable roadside problems from which I have always extricated myself and limped home to my do-it-yourself haven.

On Saturday night, however, I met my Waterloo when I was stranded in Southwick after-dark in a very vulnerable position.

Two cars soon stopped and from them four young men pushed me to safety, via a steep gradient.

This done, one of my helpers led me back to his car where his companion turned round and drove me back to Shoreham where I spent the night with a friend.

The following morning, I walked back to the car where a sympathetic passer-by crawled under my vehicle and extracted the faulty component.

I then tried to start the engine but found to my horror the battery was flat. Thereupon, an adjacently-parked Fiesta driver came to my assistance and gave me a jump start.

I would like to express my gratitude to all those young people who got dirty, exhausted and went out of their way to rescue me on that fateful weekend.

-Ken Chuter, Graham Avenue, Patcham