Your Hastings and Rye Observer is in shops now

This week we highlight how establishments across Hastings, Rye and Bexhill have joined forces to offer school children free food after MPs voted against extending free school meals to next Easter.

The full details are in today’s Observer.

Three people have also arrested this week following two separate stabbing incidents in St Leonards and Hastings in the space of seven hours. The full story on the incidents can be found in today’s paper.

Old town traders say they are losing business due to barriers installed on the seafront.

Read the full reaction in today’s Observer.

In other news in this week’s Observer, Labour councillors have accused Hastings MP Sally-Ann Hart of blocking the renewal of a scheme requiring landlords to keep properties in good condition in the borough.

And our special report this week highlights how a decade of cuts to social and public services has left the county’s children vulnerable to exploitation, according to one of the county’s most senior police officers.

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.