Two people were taken to hospital with serious injuries after being involved in a road accident.

Two cars collided on the A27, 300 yards east of the Southerham roundabout at Lewes blocking the road for more than four hours and causing long delays.

The driver and passenger from one of the vehicles were taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital for treatment. An elderly lady is now in a critical condition, another woman was suffering from head injuries and an elderly man was treated for shock.

Police are not releasing any details of the accident victims until the next of kin have been informed.

PC Pete Marriott of Lewes police, who was called to the scene, said it was necessary to close the road for a number of hours while police investigated the cause of the accident.

He said: "It would appear that for whatever reason one car hit another landing in the centre of the road.

"We had to close the road for some considerable time as it was not clear what happened."

The accident, which occurred at 11.25am on Saturday caused long delays and heavy traffic in both directions on the A27 and on the A259 as the road remained closed for around five hours.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the crash to come forward. Anyone with any information should contact Sergeant Paul Skinner or PC Pete Marriott at Lewes police station on 01323 414054 or anonymously on Crimestoppers quoting reference 854.