Scorching temperatures brought parts of Sussex to a standstill as thousands of tourists headed to the coast on the hottest day of the year.

Brighton and Hove was plunged into gridlock -prompting renewed calls for a park-and-ride to be built.

Tailbacks on the A23 stretched seven miles to the Hickstead junction and many cars overheated and were abandoned.

The heatwave coincided with the arrival of 27,000 cyclists heading to the seafront as part of the annual London to Brighton bike ride.

Motorists who made it to the city were stranded at the notorious Preston Circus junction in Brighton for hours.

Firefighters in Preston Circus station said drivers were sat in traffic near the station barely moving from 9am onwards as more and more visitors headed to the seafront.

One of Preston Circus station's appliances got trapped in Baker Street near the station yesterday afternoon by a badly parked car.

Peter Boaks, watch officer on night watch, said yesterday's gridlock was the same as that experienced by the Fatboy Slim on Brighton beach in 2002.

Another fire engine had got stuck in traffic heading back to the station from a call out to Farm Road, Hove, just before 6pm.

Mr Boaks said: "I live near Dyke Road and it took me 25 minutes to get here. It usually takes me five minutes. The traffic is certainly comparable to the Fatboy Slim event."

Some visitors vowed never to return to the city after spending hours stuck in traffic.

Oleg Lisnovitch said: "It has taken me about four hours just to get into town from the edge of Brighton. I would never come back to Brighton on a day like this again."

Tony Simpson, 18, said: "It's ridiculous, it has taken us three hours just to get to the pier from the other end of the road into Brighton. I am never coming back here again."

Daniel Turner, 18, added: "We came down for a day out to make the most of the hot weather but we have just sat in the car for hours. It took us an hour or so to get from Surrey to Brighton and then another three to get into the centre.

"I wouldn't come down here again unless I was on two wheels. I reckon I would have done a lot better if I had been on a bike like everyone else."

The hot weather coincided with the 30th London to Brighton bike ride, for which organisers the British Heart Foundation put on lorries to take participants' equipment home. But many riders still asked friends or relatives to collect them after the ride.

In the past two years train operators have banned cyclists from returning home by rail because they do not enough room in their carriages.

Brighton and Hove City Council wants to create a park-and-ride site to help alleviate the gridlock which ensues every time the sun shines or a major event is held in the city.

Council leader Ken Bodfish, took part in yesterday's charity bike ride. He said: "This is obviously one of the reasons why we need park-and-ride. It would take some pressure off. It might not solve it all but we can't go on any longer."

Meanwhile, the weekend brought joy to hoteliers, ice cream stall and shop owners who reported brisk trade throughout the weekend.

Ice cream seller Sam Isted, 20, of Seaside, Eastbourne, said: "It has been manic. My feet haven't touched the ground.

"If it carries on at this rate, I think we will have to get more supplies in."

Off the coast, coastguards had a busy weekend. A Solent Coastguard spokesman said: "We have had loads of people being towed in, getting lost and running into trouble at sea (but) there have been no life-threatening incidents."