Former press officer and reporter John Scarlett has died, aged 88.

He is perhaps best known in the circulation area of the Kent and Sussex Courier for reporting on village news for High Hurstwood since his retirement.

But his track record covered national newspapers at home and abroad.

He was born in Melbourne, Australia, and took early training in journalism at the Melbourne Argus before moving to Sydney and the Morning Herald.

He worked in Fleet Street from 1949 onwards as a reporter at the Daily Express, before moving on to become a sub-editor at the Daily Mirror, Daily Herald and Daily Sketch.

He moved to become press services manager for the Rank organization and then started his own PR firm, later working for the Commission for Racial Equality, Talking Newspapers and the Courier.

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