I agree with Peter Poole (Letters, May 12). The election announcements were a shambles from start to finish.

Some friends and I were present at the 1997 and 2001 counts and expected to go this year as well.

I heard a rumour the public weren't going to be allowed in so I called the Town Hall two weeks before the election and spoke to electoral services to find out what was going on.

I was told the public were definitely allowed in and told several of my friends.

A week later, I heard the same rumour the public would be excluded so I phoned the Town Hall and was again told, no, it was fine for the public to go.

A week before the count, I was yet again told the public were not allowed in so this time I decided to go to the Town Hall in person and clear the matter up once and for all.

I asked the desk clerk in the electoral services department, who was in the dark about the whole affair.

He went off to check and returned ten minutes later saying Sussex Police had advised the council not to let the public in.

I felt this was a bit of a cop-out and it seemed it was a convenient excuse for them, as they had obviously cocked-up the venue booking and needed an excuse as to why they were denying our democratic right to hear the election results firsthand.

On arrival at Hove Town Hall on election night, many of my friends were refused entry by security as it was "full up". When I went inside, the public room had about 20 people in and was obviously not full.

Then, I witnessed the shocking behaviour of security as they wrestled a girl in a pink wig to the ground, bent her arm behind her back and sat on top of her, while the police held her friends back.

I didn't see the incident that led to this action but was under no doubt it was an extreme and unwarranted reaction as she was hardly a threat of any sort.

The general atmosphere of the night was oppressive and shambolic. Whoever was responsible for "organising" this event should be sacked or at the very least severely reprimanded.

I hope lessons have been learnt from this and that it won't happen again in 2009.

-Darren Kis, Kemp Town, Brighton