Hundreds of people are without power across Sussex following outages caused by gale-force winds.

Power failures have been in Shoreham, Hurstpierpoint, Haywards Heath, Ringmer and Crowborough due to faults with overhead electricity lines.

Some power cables have reportedly fallen onto roads as Storm Noa batters the south coast.

A spokesman for UK Power Networks said: “Our electricity network is built to be resilient but extreme weather can affect overhead power lines. 

“We urge the public to stay well clear from power lines and anyone spotting a damaged power line needs to report it to us immediately.

“We have additional staff on duty covering operational, technical and call centre roles. As always our priorities in these situations are public safety and restoring supplies to customers as quickly and safely as possible.”

Gusts of up to 75mph have been forecast in exposed coastal areas with a yellow weather warning for wind in place for the entire county until 8pm this evening.

Power outages can be reported to UK Power Network’s emergency power cut helpline on 105.