Commuters faced a nightmare journey home tonight when part of the A27 was closed.

The Sompting bypass was closed from Church Lane to Dankton Lane after a gas main started leaking.

The trouble came on top of roadworks which have reduced part of the A27 in Worthing and Lancing to one lane each way.

Extreme weather, including floods and black ice, has also caused misery for motorists using the road in recent weeks.

Police closed the road at 3.20pm and set up diversions.

A spokeswoman for gas firm Transco said a medium main, between 6in and 10in in diameter, had been damaged.

The closure of the road had a knock-on effect on the A259 coast road. Traffic using the route tailed back all the way into Worthing.