Brighton angel

"I hope it snows tonight." After the recent white paralysis, I had to disagree with the bloke next to me at the bar.

My enthusiasm for the snow had been melting with the infinite flakes themselves - I love snow when it first arrives, but after a week or so its welcome fades and dies like a West Ham supporter's dreams.

But my opinion was changed for me when my newfound acquaintance said that if it snowed, he, as a homeless person, would have to be housed for the night. Apparently, it's the rules.

Officially, there are only a handful of homeless in Brighton. Unofficially, and in reality, there are many, many more out there, facing the city's weather and violent thugs with arsonist tendencies.

Brighton's image as a tourist destination is a huge priority for the council, which goes to great lengths to protect it. That's why they gave into the binworkers' strike, and it's why they're redeveloping London Road.

It's also why they surreptitiously 'relocate' Brighton's homeless to cities and towns with which they have no connection whatsoever. These extraordinary renditions take place without a murmur of publicity.

But Brighton's homeless have their defenders. One such, a full-time carer for an elderly relative, manages to get out each morning to collect spare food from the city's fast food outlets and then distribute his well-gotten gains to bodies slumped in doorways, garages and lock-ups.

The effort and commitment required to do this in all weathers, given the man's domestic commitments, is nothing short of Herculean. It's an inspiration to know that people like him exist.

Other supporters include the thousands of citizens - and tourists - who buy the Big Issue or donate spare change.

My Big Issue selling friend says he's half way to getting the funds together for his own place. In a few months, Brighton's official homeless figures will fall by a significant percentage if he is successful, but the unofficial numbers will remain a mystery, hidden by the carpet under which the council sweeps them on a daily basis.