People in areas prone to flooding were keeping a close watch on the weather tonight after high winds and torrential rain battered Sussex.

West Sussex bore the brunt of the storm, with 70mph gusts bringing down trees and causing travel chaos.

The storm hit almost a year after the devastating floods in Uckfield and Lewes, which caused damage costing millions of pounds.

Weathermen said strong winds and heavy showers were expected to continue today.

At the height of the storm, police urged people to travel only if necessary and to take extreme care on the roads.

In New Church Road, Hove, part of a tree crashed on to a parked car.

A couple escaped with minor injuries after a tree fell on their car in Climping, near Littlehampton, and another tree came down in Warren Road, Worthing.

There were also reports of a tree down in the Pound Hill area of Crawley.

Beach staff closed Worthing Pier as strong winds hit the town and pebbles blown off the beach hit cars parked on the seafront.

Firefighters from Brighton, Hove and Roedean were called to Ashley Court in Grand Avenue, Hove, after scaffolding was dislodged.

A heavy rain warning was issued by the Met Office covering the coast from Eastbourne to Pevensey Bay, and rivers such as the Ouse and the Cuckmere.

The shingle bank at Selsey was also shored up following high winds.