This is why the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run did not travel through Crawley High Street

But one thing was missing - the traditional stop off in Crawley High Street.

The pit stop was always a popular place for hundreds of people to see the classic cars in all their glory as they took a rest before travelling down to the Sussex coast.

You see pictures of this year's car run passing through Crawley here - https://www.crawleyobserver.co.uk/news/people/london-to-brighton-veteran-car-run-vintage-cars-pass-through-crawley-in-pictures-3448365

This year it was sorely missed. Crawley Observer reader John Cooban, from Three Bridges, emailed: "It was only on seeing Crawley High Street nearly deserted on a sunny midday of the London-Brighton Veteran Car Run that it struck me that we hadn't heard much about why Crawley's prestige period piece town centre was to be denied the popular spectacle of the car run. I'm sure that any explanations you can obtain from organisers and authorities will be welcomed by your readers."

So we asked the organisers why they did not take the traditional route through Crawley and whether they will return to the High Street next year.

A spokesman said: "It was with regret that this year’s RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run did not travel through Crawley High Street as tradition dictates – even more so as this was the 125th anniversary of the first Emancipation Run of 1896 and Crawley town centre has been a mid-way halt for the participants dating right back to those early days.

"Sadly a combination of uncertainty regarding roadworks in the area and the costs of crowd control measures now required for public health and safety on what’s always a crowded High Street required a re-route for 2021.

"We are, however, optimistic that the magic of the Veteran Car Run will be back in the historic heart of Crawley next year as a part of the town’s own 75th anniversary celebrations.”