A pub has been praised for taking in around 40 people stranded by the snow.

The Bear Inn in Burwash, near Hailsham, became a port of call in the storm after the county was covered in snow, leaving many with nowhere to stay.

Instead of leaving people out in the cold, the pub kept its fire roaring throughout the night and offered food, drink and a place to sleep on the floor.

Ellie Rainey, from Bexhill, who found the pub as she travelled back from Bluewater in Kent, said: “We don’t know what we would have done without them.

“They have been absolutely brilliant, they stayed up all night and haven’t slept.

“We’ve put together a little collection pot together for them and we will definitely be coming back under better circumstances.”

The Argus: Ellie Rainer, 24, sleeps on chairs in the pubEllie Rainer, 24, sleeps on chairs in the pub (Image: Ellie Rainer)

Ellie, 24, and her brother Daniel were stranded after crashing near the pub while swerving to avoid other stranded cars.

The siblings had been heading back to Bexhill and crashed at around 10.30pm on Sunday. They had left Bluewater at about 3pm.

The Bear is a motel as well as a pub. The motel beds were quickly filled by other stranded travellers so, after being towed to safety by residents, Elllie and Daniel slept on chairs in the pub.

Rather than turn people away, The Bear kept its open fire on all night and allowed people to sleep on the floor, while also providing free food and drink for them.

Dr Alexandra Loske, the curator of Brighton's Royal Pavilion, also found a welcome at the pub after getting stranded in Burwash on her way back from Folkestone.

The Argus: Dr Alexandra Loske in The Bear Inn huddling by the fireDr Alexandra Loske in The Bear Inn huddling by the fire (Image: Flora Loske-Page)

After reaching the pub with her husband Jeremy and daughter Flora, she said: "It was stressful but really heart-warming, it really brings out the best in people.

"We were in the pub until midnight but then someone who booked a room said to take theirs, it was amazing.

"The pub welcomed us with open arms and put out chips and pigs in blankets for everyone. I'm really, really grateful."

Those staying in the pub were also treated to a cello performance by another woman who was stranded due to the weather conditions.

Diane King, who helps to run the pub with her sister Pauline, said: “We had strangers bunking with strangers and then a family came in three-month-old baby so we stayed in the pub all night.

“The road was absolutely horrendous, right outside the front is the main road and we were going out and pushing cars.

“People were grateful, and people were so kind to each other. It was amazing, everybody was being very nice to everyone.”

Diane, 32, said that many of the pub’s lodgers had been able to find their way back home but that some were still stranded there yesterday.