There's something badly wrong with police priorities when the force is too busy to help bring back a stolen car.

Retired lecturer Thomas Didcott spotted his wife's stolen car while in Brighton and reported it to police.

Even though he waited for hours for the police to turn up, nobody arrived and officers said they were busy.

They may well have been because Brighton and Hove is a busy city but that doesn't excuse the offhand way in which they dealt with Mr Didcott.

Stolen cars may be two a penny to officers but they are precious to the owners and, in this case, Mr Didcott had made a big effort to find the vehicle.

All the police had to do was to turn up and they might have caught the culprit as well as getting the car returned safely.

Instead, the car was eventually moved by two trucks for tests and Mr Didcott was told he would have to pay to get it back.

This is by no means the first case in Sussex where the police have shown a lack of interest in crime and it does nothing for their reputation with the public they are supposed to serve.