Your top stories this year – January

As 2023 draws to a close, here’s a look back at some of the stories that made the news month by month.

January saw a mixed bag f news for Brighton and Hove’s entertainment and hospitality industries.

The company behind The Warren – which put on shows as part of the Brighton Fringe – went bust owing artists, suppliers and the taxman £600,000.

Otherplace Productions had already pulled out of the previous year’s festival. But The Fringe itself didn’t miss a beat, bringing in Caravanserai to host shows and attractions instead.

Meanwhile, one of Brighton’s most famous restaurants, Donatello, won a reprieve from the council after almost losing its licence when illegal immigrants were found working there.

And a Preston Road pub – The Chequers – announced it was reopening as The Brick.

But one of the month’s biggest stories was the news a bus route which takes people up Muesli Mountain in Hanover was to halve in frequency – because nobody was taking it on the way down the hill.

However, the decision was reversed within hours of Brighton and Hove News running the story – although thanks mainly, we understand, to interventions from Buswatch, the city’s bus passenger advocacy group.

A much-loved independent Brighton supermarket, Taj, scored zero stars in its hygiene rating after inspectors found dirty cloths, filthy containers and unfit food in its Western Road store.

And finally, an abandoned iguana rescued after being dumped on a doorstep was dubbed Eddie Lizard by staff at RSPCA Brighton.