In this week's Bexhill Observer (27/01/17)

This week we lead on the story of a seven-year-old autistic boy who went missing from school, sparking a major police search.

We caught up with his mum who told us about her heart-breaking three year battle with the Local Education Authority in trying to get her son into a specialist school better suited to his needs. You will find Laura Cooke’s special report on pages 20 and 21.

After months of waiting, an opening date has finally been announced for the Bexhill Wetherspoons. Love it or hate it, work on the pub will be starting next month - see page six for more.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission returned to inspect the local health trust and the Conquest Hospital and the report was published this week.

The trust gone up a rating from ‘inadequate’ to ‘requires improvement’, but it remains in special measures. See page 16 for analysis of the report and we will bring you more reaction in next week’s Observer.

The family of a convicted paedophile, who took his own life during his trial, have vowed to fight to clear his name at the man’s inquest, held this week.

Darren Turk used to work at St Mary’s Special School in Bexhill. None of the offences involved pupils at St Mary’s. See page seven for the full story.

Also in the news, brace yourself for ten weeks of roadworks on the seafront and MP Huw Merriman presses the Government for more money for schools in Bexhill and Battle.

We also bring you news of the latest planning application for the former Sidley Sports Ground and we would love to hear your views - why not write in to our letters page? This week’s letters page includes your views on an eclectic range of topics, from flytipping to car vandalism, bridle paths to the man who has taken choc ices to his wife in her care home for the past three years.

Turn to page 58 for Wow 24/7 for all the latest entertainment news and events happening across Rother and Hastings.

Finally sports reporter Simon Newstead brings you all the latest sporting action and news from around the area, including Little Common FC’s hope of league promotion and the official opening of Bexhill College’s new 3G pitch.

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