Coach company National Express is looking to increase availability on its services to Brighton to help those attending Pride.

Festivalgoers have been trying to find alternative ways to travel to the city after rail firm Govia Thameslink Railway, which runs Southern and Thameslink services, cancelled all trains this Saturday over safety concerns.

Many people have opted for coaches to Brighton for the weekend, with National Express reporting a surge in bookings.

However, the firm is not calling at any stops in Brighton due to road closures in the city, with customers instead advised to choose Hove as their destination.

A spokeswoman for National Express said: “We are busier than normal on rail disruption days and have seen a 32 per cent increase in bookings for travel to Brighton over Pride weekend so far.

“Due to road closures and diversions, National Express coaches will serve Hove Station this weekend as we are unable to serve Brighton stops.

“We are working hard to increase availability on our services where possible.

“Customers are advised to keep checking our website for the latest availability and we recommend booking as soon as possible to guarantee a seat for travel.

“We also ask that customers plan in advance and allow additional time for travel to allow for any unexpected delays on the road network and to be patient with our staff.

“We wish everyone celebrating in Brighton this weekend a very happy Pride.”

Many services across Sussex will be suspended on Saturday, which the rail firm claims is due to an overtime ban by train drivers’ union Aslef.

Chris Fowler, network operations and performance director at Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “After exploring all possible options and following discussions with the police, emergency service and local council, we simply cannot run a safe service with enough capacity for the extraordinary number of passengers that travel to Brighton for Pride.

“We cannot in good faith bring people into Brighton that cannot get home again, potentially leaving thousands of people stranded - safety must come first.”

Train services on Friday and Sunday are unaffected by the cancellations.