A second young woman has died following a crash involving three cars and a lorry on a road known as "death mile."

The multiple pile-up happened on the A27 at Selmeston on Tuesday April 24.

The second fatality was a 22-year-old woman from Cirencester in Gloucestershire who had been driving a Renault Clio car.

She was airlifted to Eastbourne District General Hospital and spent Tuesday night fighting for her life in intensive care.

She had been travelling with a 22-year-old man from Eastbourne, who was also taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Another young woman, from Bexhill, described by her grandfather as a "lively 20-year-old who had everything to live for" was declared dead at the scene.

She had been travelling in a Fiat Siencento driven by a 20-year-old man from St Leonards who was taken to hospital with slight injuries.

The driver of a Ford Transit Luton van, which was from Worthing-based company Quake Energy Services, was later arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

The 22-year-old male from Worthing is an employee at the firm and he, and his 38-year-old male passenger, were taken to hospital with minor injuries. He was later bailed pending further enquiries.

Both cars and the lorry were written off and fire-fighters had to cut two people from the wreckage.

A BMW was also involved in the major pile-up and its driver - a man from Littlehampton - was taken to hospital with slight injuries.

Four people have died and 18 were injured along the lethal stretch of road near Charleston Farm even before the latest tragedy happened and the area has long been the focus of road safety campaigns.

It has been earmarked for improvements by the Highways Agency this summer but Argus readers have bombarded the website with renewed calls for more urgent and increased measures to stop further deaths happeneing again.

As previously reported a man called Roy Lee from Westfield, near Hastings said the 20-year-old killed in the crash was his granddaughter and he posted his comments on the Argus website. He blamed the "do-gooders" who have stopped the road becoming a dual carraigeway for the accident.

Another web user, Bob, from Brighton agreed. He said: "This is a major east-west route which should have been up graded to dual carriageway a long time ago.

"It is only the anti car, politically correct lobby which has prevented this, and all the recent deaths means blood on these people's hands."

Someone calling himself "The Mighty" of Brighton said: "It's a terrible tragedy when people are killed or horrifically injured in RTA's, but the comments I've seen left in respect of this story all blame the road.

"It isn't roads that cause accidents - it's the people behind the steering wheel. I see dozens of 'drivers' every day displaying reckless behaviour and blind ignorance that their dangerous and often idiotic actions can kill people."

But MB of Brighton said: "The driving habits of a number of people who believe themselves above the law is a sign of today's society.

"However slowing down traffic even more will only create more frustration, not to mention pollution. This is a major coastal route and with the volume of traffic should therefore be a dual carriageway."

Anyone with any information should contact the Road Policing Unit at Polegate on 0845 60 70 999 quote Operation Glencat.