American students living in Sussex have been touched by the sympathy shown to them by their English hosts since the terrorist attacks.

There are around 60 students currently on the American Students' Programme based at the University of Sussex, many of whom arrived just a few days before the tragedy.

Alexis Marchio, 19, is spending the autumn term in Brighton having left her home in Philadelphia two weeks ago.

She said: "People in Brighton have been really sympathetic asking 'Are you okay?' In shops, on trains, everyone has been really nice."

She first heard about the attacks from a friend on campus but the news did not fully sink in until she heard one of the hijacked planes had crashed in her home state of Pennsylvania.

She added: "I was very upset and phoned my parents straight away. It turned out everyone was okay but it was really difficult being so far away from home. I just wanted to be with my family."

Alexis, who is studying international relations, said she and her friends were backing George Bush's plans to strike back at the terrorists.

She added: "Before I came away my parents were worried about me getting caught up in terrorist attacks in Europe. Now look what has happened. You are supposed to feel safe in the US.

"I feel awful about going to war but at this point I feel there is no other answer. You cannot let people get away with something like this."