TORY leader William Hague criticised Brighton's traffic problems when he toured Sussex.

Mr Hague stopped on Brighton seafront after arriving in town by car and addressed party members.

He was told by Geoffery Theobald, opposition leader on Brighton and Hove Council, that traffic lights near the station were holding up flows and there were hardly any through east-west routes in the town.

Mr Hague commented: "Clearly they have messed it up. Locally as well as nationally, Labour are anti-motorist."

He met dozens of candidates and said he was looking for gains in tomorrow's local elections.

Mr Hague added: "Here we have a Labour council that has taken people for granted."

He said Council Tax had gone up by 17 per cent in two years and that the towns needed cleaning up.

But council leader Lord Bassam responded: "We are reducing the number of road deaths through traffic management. If we get rid of lights, what about the effect on pedestrians and road safety?"

Mr Hague also visited Eastbourne, Worthing and Horsham during his whistle-stop visit.

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