Mercury web plea

A FACEBOOK group has been set up in a bid to restore Mercury FM, in the week the radio station went off the airwaves.

The group, titled "Bring Back Mercury FM as a Community Radio Station", has been set up to campaign for Crawley to have its own station.

Mercury FM served the town as well as the rest of Sussex and Surrey for more than 25 years.

But as of Monday, the station was replaced by Heart Sussex and Surrey, based in Brighton.

James Easton, the creator of the group, said: "I think it is a grave shame this has happened and we have lost something that meant so much to a lot of the community.

"A station which had so many famous jocks (disc jockeys) present over the airwaves should not have been so unceremoniously closed like the way it has.

"I do not understand how Global Radio (Mercury FM's owners) can take away a radio station in such a big town with one of the world's busiest airports located in it."

He added: "I work at Gatwick Airport and I loved being able to finish work and hear the latest news and traffic reports, as well as the current music.

"I have set up this group to try and bring people together to discuss if there is a way to possibly bring a form of Mercury back."