The most read stories from Sussex in 2019

We took a look through our statistics since 1 January and found the eight articles and live pages that got the most page views this year.

This year has been a record-breaking one for The Argus online.

The stories that captivated our readers in 2019 run the gamut from the royals and elections to crime and punishment.

Here are the top eight most read stories..

Thousands sign petition to get Duke and Duchess of Sussex stripped of titles

Date: December 12

Page views: 368,060

BRIGHTON & Hove City Council was forced to respond to a petition signed by thousands which campaigned to reject the titles of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Labour leader of the council Nancy Platts dismissed the petition saying there were “more pressing issues” to deal with.

On 1 July of this year, campaigner Charles Ross launched a petition for the council to stop recognising Prince Harry and Meghan’s “arbitrarily and unfairly acquired” royal titles.

While the authorities do not have the power to strip the royals of their titles, Ross called “to establish a precedent” so the council “will no longer afford official hospitality to those with royal or aristocratic titles nor make usage of those titles in official documents”.

The document attracted some 3,881 signatures.

Mr Ross clarified that it was not a “personal attack” on the duke and duchess themselves but instead “an ideal opportunity to put [Brighton] on the map as a forward-thinking and modern city that rejects archaic and outdated feudal ceremony and doffing our caps to the aristocracy in favour of social justice and fairness for all.”

Customer shocked after being called a ‘c**t’ by cafe

Page views:120,856

Date: December 1

THE second most read story involved Marwood Bar customer Neil Masey being called a “c**t” after he left a negative review online.

The Ovingdean resident was disappointed with his trip to the cafe in Ship Street.

He decided to air his views on Facebook, stating he “didn’t like it here very much”.

In response, the Marwood Facebook account replied: “You sir are a miserable c**t, stick to Greggs.”

Cafe’s director Harry Petrakas said: “We can take negative feedback, but come after our team and then we take it personally.”

Furious parents protest at Lewes Priory School over gender neutral uniform

Date: September 6

Views: 104,968

NEARLY 150 parents and pupils staged a protest outside the Priory School in Lewes over gender neutral uniforms.

The school made trousers compulsory for new and existing students for the new term.

The school said “concerns” had been raised over the length of girls’ skirts and new rules also catered for a handful of transgender pupils.

Protesters said pupils should have a choice to wear skirts, while others believe clothes are being wasted.

Former Priory student and TV presenter Piers Morgan tweeted his support for the protesters saying the “gender neutral craze” was out of control and girls should be girls, and boys should be boys.

The Conservative MP for Lewes, Maria Caulfield, also said: “Very disturbed to see the school turning away girls from Priory school because they choose to wear a skirt and calling the police on them.

“This is not how we should be treating the young women of Lewes.”

Libby Murray, who is in her final year, said the new rule meant clothes were going to be thrown away, which would contribute to the climate change crisis.

She also said removing the choice for pupils to wear skirts because some wear them too short was “unfair”.

“Girls roll up their skirts but that can be solved by better policing of it.”

She added: “To make it gender neutral they have to let everyone wear skirts or trousers and have that choice.”

In 2017, the school introduced a trouser-only policy for new students. It brought in the blanket ban on skirts for all students on Friday.

In a statement, the school said students not conforming to the new rule would be asked to return home and change before being allowed into the building.

During extremely hot weather pupils had previously been allowed to wear PE shorts or skorts - shorts made to look like skirts.

However, a letter sent to parents in June said the decision had “created more problems than we wished”.

It said pupils not following the new rule was “detracting” staff from teaching.

University of Brighton student designs chair to stop ‘manspreading’

Date: July 10

Views: 140,016

A STUDENT created a chair to help stop men sitting a certain way.

Laila Laurel, who has graduated from a 3D design and craft degree from the University of Brighton, won a national prize for her chairs which prevent “manspreading”.

Manspreading is a term which describes the way men sit, often on public transport, with their legs wide apart and taking up more than one seat.

Laila’s chair, A Solution For Manspreading, was designed so men have to sit with their legs closed, thus preventing them encroaching on others’ space.

It won the Belmond Award at New Designers in London, a major showcase of work from UK universities. The award is run by Belmond Hotels.

Laila said: “I am completely shocked but very happy and honoured to have won the Belmond Award – and I am looking forward to designing with them this year.”

Brighton Pride 2019 LIVE - Pictures and updates from parade and Kylie Minogue

Date: August 30

Views: 115,543

HUNDREDS of thousands of people lined the streets of Brighton during the Pride parade.

This year’s event commemorated the 50-year anniversary of the Stonewall Inn uprising in New York, which ignited the Pride movement, while also recognising the ongoing campaigning work for equal rights.

With that in mind, this year’s theme celebrated “Generations of Love”.

Kylie Minogue headlined the festival on Saturday with her end-of-tour finale at Preston Park.

Clean Bandit, X Factor finalist Fleur East, tribute act Björn Again, Alice Chater and Zak Abel supported.

On Sunday, Jessie J and Grace Jones took to the stage alongside Rak Su, Nina Nesbitt, House Gospel Choir, Grace Carter and Guilty Pleasures.

The colourful carnival took a revised route through North Road, for one year only, because of ongoing regeneration works in the city.

Boy, 12, arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm after bike gang storms Asda

Date: August 16

Views: 100,348

BIKE thugs punched a shopper and wrestled an elderly lady during a rampage through Asda.

Footage showed the YouTube yobs storm the supermarket and terrorise families in Brighton Marina.

The gang even wrestled with an elderly woman.

The smirking youths performed wheelies and tricks through the fresh food aisles as shoppers tried to block them with trolleys.

Laughing with excitement, one member faces the camera and said: “Yo we’re riding through Asda right now!”

As his pals narrowly miss skidding into shoppers, he can be heard shouting “Uh oh”.

Their antics in Asda was just a two minute segment of the 24-minute video posted on YouTube with the title “The Maddest Day Ever In Brighton”.

In October, Keith Mujuru admitted riding dangerously and using threatening and abusive behaviour.

The jobless 19-year-old mumbled the word: “Sorry.”

He was fined £880, and when asked how he would pay he said he would have to ask his mum.

Brighton and Hove City Council election results 2019

Views: 139,841

Date: May 4

LABOUR became the first party in 20 years to win a second term in charge of Brighton and Hove City Council after narrowly beating the Greens.

The Conservatives slipped to third place.

A surge in Green support saw the party make gains from Labour and the Tories and take them to within one seat of victory.

It was tough day for the Conservatives after losing Withdean to the Greens and a seat in Rottingdean Coastal ward to an Independent as well as seats in Central Hove and Westbourne to the Greens and Labour respectively.

Rottingdean Coastal returned Bridget Fishleigh, who previously campaigned to save the Saltdean Lido.

The 54 council seats are now made up of 20 Labour, 19 Greens, 14 Conservatives and one Independent.

Former Labour council leader Daniel Yates said: “We are the first administration in 20 years given this responsibility again.

“This council switched and switched. We have kept the confidence of the city, given the national protest vote.

“This is a progressive city. We have seen across the city the two progressive political parties returned at the expense of the regressive Conservatives.”

Conservative group leader Tony Janio saw three recounts in his Hangleton and Knoll ward as Councillor Nick Lewry hung on by two votes.

Shoppers stuck in Aldi car park ‘for hours’

Date: September 30

Views: 168,348

DRIVERS complained of a “meltdown” in an Aldi car park and called for the police to get involved.

Shoppers leaving Pavilion Retail Park, the site of the new superstore near Lewes Road, Brighton, said they are facing waits of “hours” to get out of the car park.

They thanked “valiant” B&Q workers for helping direct traffic and stopping impatient drivers from skipping the queues.

Over the weekend, one exit lane was closed due to roadworks.

And according to furious drivers, traffic lights were only allowing four cars into Lewes Road every two minutes.

The Aldi store opened in October last year. The store has 1,100 square metres of floor space and Aldi says it has created up to 50 jobs.

In a review of the original application approved by Brighton and Hove City Council, planning officer Mark Thomas wrote that “vehicle access will remain largely as existing” and raised no objections to the development based on traffic.

His report also estimated that during peak Saturday hours, the store’s car park would receive an average of 94 visitors every 30 minutes.