Town stalwart dies, aged 91

Len Willey will be remembered by many for his opposition to the plan to build a road through the middle of Lewes in the 1960s.

Willey Bridge by the Malling Recreation Ground is also named after him as he campaigned for the bridge to be built over the Ouse to link Malling with the Pells.

His son Peter Willey told the Express: 'He loved Lewes, he liked the character of the town and the people and he loved his job as a councillor.

'He was fiercely opposed to the county council's planned inner relief road which would have meant the demolition of a lot of houses in Lewes.

'In fact, he was so incensed by the plan he said he would be the first person to lay down in the middle of the road to stop it.'

Mr Willey was born in Nottingham but came to live in Lewes after serving in Burma in the Second World War.

He is survived by two sons, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.