A section of motorway was closed as more floods hit Sussex last night.

Emergency services worked through the night to deal with incidents caused by the combination of strong winds, high tides and torrential rain.

At 8.45pm police shut the M23 in both directions between junctions 10 and 11 following a serious accident which could have been caused by vehicles aqua-planing across the road.

The motorway was flooded with several feet of water.

The crash, between a van and two cars, happened at about 8pm on the north bound carriageway of the M23 near junction 10a.

A motorist had to be freed by firefighters using hydraulic cutting equipment and was taken to the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath suffering from serious injuries.

The road was partially blocked, causing traffic chaos.

Police decided to close the section of motorway and set up diversions because debris from the accident and flooding meant driving conditions were treacherous.

In West Sussex, firefighters received dozens of calls throughout the night from people whose homes had been flooded.

They were called to areas including Midhurst, Pulborough, Singleton and West Marden.

The wall of a house in Harebeating Drive, Hailsham, was blown away in the storms, leaving a gaping hole in one side of the property.

Firefighters were called to rescue a pony which had been stuck in the mud for several hours in Steers Lane, Crawley. They used a crane to lift the cold and distressed animal to safety.